


Deception

by atrt7900



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Everyone's so tired of everyone's shit, Explicit Language, Gen, Hoenn Region, There's some romance but not the prime focus, it's so tragic lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-19 07:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 51,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17596916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atrt7900/pseuds/atrt7900
Summary: With the world spinning out of balance, people are struggling to survive. Eight years have passed, and the future looks more bleak than ever. War is common, and a previous industrializing age is nothing but a shadow if its former self. However, as secrets begin to unravel, more begin to realize that not everything is what it seems.Or: The Hoenn region is in turmoil, and it's up to our many protagonists to figure out the mysteries behind its collapse.





	1. Prologue

**21XX: Time Unknown**

**...**

It was absolutely storming.

The sky was dark, overcast with gloomy gray clouds. The wind howled. The rain poured heavily onto the ground. The sound of thunder filled the air. It was the type of weather where families stayed inside their households, huddled with their family members as they exchanged stories about their days. They would be sipping their hot chocolate, glancing affectionately at their Pokemon while they either sat and listened to their trainers' stories or played with each other, lost in their own worlds. Family members wouldn't go outside when they could stay inside the cozy confides of their households. They already had everything they already needed.

However, that was another time. That was the past. And now was the present.

A little boy ran down ravaged streets, his soggy and already dirtied sneakers pounding onto the cracked cement. He was holding a bag of stashed food, keeping it close to his chest, trying to keep it as dry as possible. His long brown bangs were plastered to his forehead, wet from the constant downpour, and he shivered as the wind picked up. His Emolga flew beside him, or at least attempted to. With the strong winds, it was rather hard to glide easily alongside the boy.

A broken down house came into view, and the little boy breathed out a sigh of relief. Next to him, his Emolga let out a squeak of joy and glided ahead of him, or at least attempted to. The wind pushed the little Pokemon back, nearly hitting the brunette boy in the face had he not dodged. While clutching to his bag of foods in one hand, he reached out to the Emolga and held her close to his chest. With the Pokemon and his food in his arms, the boy picked up his pace, wanting to get back to his home as soon as possible, desperate to escape the ongoing storm.

As he got to the front door of his home, the boy reached out for the door knob, before stopping suddenly. He glanced around nervously, blue eyes scanning his surroundings carefully despite wanting to finally go inside and dry off. He took a few steps back, trying to get a closer look around the area before nodding to himself. Deeming it safe, he went back to the front porch and opened the door, before shutting behind him softly, locking it as he did so. He moved the chair next to the door under the knob for extra security.

The house was a lot warmer than he expected and he sighed out yet another breath of relief, another days work finally behind him. He let his Emolga jump out of his arms, as she chirped again and shook her fur dry. He took a mental note to set aside a towel at the front door for the Pokemon and himself as he wrung out the water from his clothes that were clinging to his skin, having set aside the food on the ground nearby.

Once completely dried off, he made his way through the broken down home, taking out an apple from the bag as he carried it down the hall. The ceiling seemed ready to give away itself, but for some reason, still managed to keep itself up. The boy was just thankful it was still going strong.

"Mom? Mom, I'm home," he called. He entered the room to his left and sat next to his mom's bedside. "I've got you some food. Finally managed to get to an abandoned grocery store that still had some good stuff left." The 9 year old boy gave her the apple he was holding while taking out a banana for his own. His mom's Duosion floated into the room, greeting the boy with a nod as it settled down next to the Emolga.

His mother smiled weakly, gratefully taking the apple from her son, her own brown hair a tangled mess on the pillows. "T-thank you sweetheart. Y'know… you didn't have to do this right?" She suddenly coughed violently, curling up her body as she did so. Her Duosion floated up near her bedside, obviously concerned for her.

He shook his head desperately, his hand on her back as he gave her the nearly empty water bottle at her bedside. "Would you stop saying that? I promised Dad that I would take care of you while he was gone, and I intend to keep that promise," he said, a lot more mature than any other normal 9 year old boy. Granted, he had to be. He was the man of the household now. Even though it was just him and his mom left. And the Pokemon.

He knew his mom felt guilty on having her son do everything while in her weakened state. There were countless times when she told him to leave her. To take care of himself. To save himself and not have to worry anyone besides himself. He knew she thought she was going to die sooner or later, and language aside, he would be damned before letting anything happen to her.

"But only if you would-"

There was a slam. Something clattered onto the ground. There were muffled voices. Two male. One female. "Finally, we got that god-damned door open," the boy heard someone say.

The boy and his mother froze. Someone- no. People had broken into their tiny shack of a home. The boy's eyes widened as he panicked to himself. He had checked his surroundings before getting into the house! The house already looked abandoned from the outside, had these strangers saw him come into the house? Did they know people were living in here? His mother's Duosion got up and floated out of the room with a small cry, ready to take on the trespassers to protect his trainer and her son.

The mother reached out and grabbed his wrist gently before tugging him by her side. She gave him a close hug while whispering a quick, "I love you," to him, while telling him to hide under the bed with his Emolga. Her son was frozen, too busy panicking to himself to reciprocate the hug. The woman then got up, mustering up any strength she had left to protect them herself, and shoved her son and Emolga under the bed. The boy was too frozen to fight back and defy his mother's order. Instead, in his own cowardice, he curled up to himself under her bed, hugging his Emolga close to him, and shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out what was happening.

There was a cry. And then some laughter. Not the giggly fun-loving kind of laughter, but a darker, more sinister one. "Ha!" he heard a man shout. "That little thing actually thought it could do a number on us!"

"Shut up would you?" a woman said. "There isn't just a Duosin here. Remember your job. We still got things to take care of."

The footsteps were closer than ever, and before he knew it, the intruders had set foot into the room. "Oh? Now who do we have here?"

There was a pause. The boy shivered to himself, ashamed of his cowardly actions and shut his eyes even tighter, small tears attempting to escape his eyelids. He had promised to protect his mother, and what was he doing now? He heard his mother's voice, the coldest he had ever heard it. "Just a woman. Trying to survive."

A longer pause. A few more steps. And then a man's voice. "Are you.. the only one here?"

"Yes."

The longest silence the boy had ever experienced in his 9 years of living then commenced. And then it ended. "Liar."

A snap of someone's fingers.

Then there was a growl. A ferocious one. A resounding crunch. A horrible, horrible sound. The boy decided to open his eyes, just a little tiny bit, and was met with a horrifying sight.

Blood. All over the ground. His mother's body, now dead body lying on top of her own pool of blood. Brown eyes still wide open in surprise, her mouth slightly agape. Never again would he hear her soft voice. Her quiet laughter. Her gentle smile.

Never. Ever. Again.

He couldn't look away. He had to cover his mouth or else he would have screamed. His Emolga curled itself closer in his arms, just as frightened as he was.

A pair of feet walked around his mother's corpse. Slowly. Mockingly. "Y'know, my Mightyena has an… extremely strong sense of smell. With some extremely sharp teeth. You can't _just_ trick a Pokemon like this any day. And besides, we already knew you weren't the only one here." A foot nudged his mom's dead body to the side. The Mightyena started to growl softly.

"But don't worry. We're only here to pay a visit. We'll be out shortly. We just need to get some supplies that would really _really_ help us out."

The Mightyena's growls got even louder. "… Isn't that right?"

The boy didn't even have any time to scream before he was finished off.

* * *

_There is war._

_What was once a peaceful era, where human and Pokemon coexisted together in harmony, is now gone._

_What was once a bustling and industrializing world was now replaced by a ravaged and destroyed one. Where there were billions of people, there was now less than fifty thousand. Where there were billions upon billions of Pokemon, there were fewer Pokemon than anyone could ever imagine._

_There is no law and order. The world is in chaos._

_It's every man for themselves._

_Will you make alliances? Will you fend everyone off yourself? Will you trust the gradually growing government trying to establish order again? Or are these just independent organizations working for their own gain?_

_One thing is clear. You can't trust anybody. Everyone is struggling to survive._

_So how will you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted on fanfiction.net, but I decided to just cross-post this onto here as well. If you want any updates on my progress, it should be there on my ffn.net profile under the same name. Other than that, thanks so much for giving this fic a shot, and I hope you all enjoy!


	2. Beginnings

**2138:** **11 years ago  
**

**...**

The smell of the fresh air in the tiny town never failed to relax him.

As the man walked down the dirt road, he stared up at the sky, glancing at the rising sun as it gradually brightened it up, colors blending together to make a magnificent sight. He could hear the enthusiastic chirps of passerby Pokemon, whether it be a trainer's Pokemon or a wild one. It was rather relaxing, and he could feel the tension at his shoulders leaving as he passed by trainers ready to start their days.

It had been a long three days. Three, long, stressful days. Days that had him working for entire nights, which he usually never had to do. As a Pokemon doctor, it was his duty to take care of the injured at the Pokemon Center, and he was well aware of his job. However, it was one of those rare nights that had him running around the center, hopping in different rooms every few or so minutes to tend to each and every individual Pokemon. His eyes were heavy, he noted as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, and he just wanted to collapse on his bed and take a long nap.

Well. That and greet his beautiful wife and daughter at their home of course. He hadn't seen or heard of them the entire time he was working, as he was cooped up in the center.

He gripped the handle of his suitcase harder and picked up his pace a little, eager to finally return to the warm household.

There was a gentle breeze and another wave of fresh air, one that Verdenturf Town was famous for. He was rather glad he and his wife decided to move into this town. One that was remote, wasn't urban. Just one that was fresh and pure. It was one of those towns that just radiated happiness. Townspeople always seemed to have a content smile on their faces. Children were always roaming around the town, laughing and giggling as they played games with each other. It was common to see a group of Pokemon under a tree, lazing around under the cool weather.

He definitely preferred a countryside town over a metropolitan city. The content environment was something that he craved.

He soon reached the doorstep to his small house and smiled to himself at the familiar sight. "I'm home!" he called as he opened the door.

When he went inside and closed the door, he could hear the small pitter-patter of tiny feet running towards his direction. "Dad! You're back!" a young 12 year old girl shouted, as she threw her arms out to him. He hugged her in return, noting at how she seemed to be growing taller day by day. His Castform floated to him from behind his daughter, letting out a squeak as a greeting. When he let go of his daughter, the man patted Castform's head, as it laughed and nuzzled him in return.

"How was work?" his daughter asked, bouncing on her heels, as he hung his coat on the hanger next to the door and set his suitcase down. She hadn't started her Pokemon journey yet, as she had opted to stay at home. She still felt too attached to her home, and didn't feel the need to leave so early. Instead she felt like she was too young, and the blonde wanted to fully prepare herself for her journey. She didn't even want to be a trainer or coordinator. If anything, she wanted to be a nurse or doctor, just like her dad.

She didn't need to leave the house in order to be a doctor. She could just learn from him.

"Tiring," he answered. "But rewarding, like always," he smiled, ruffling her hair as he walked by her, in search of his wife. The girl pouted as she tried to refix her now mused up hair.

He found his wife in the kitchen, next to the stove as she was making breakfast for the family. Her Bellossom was on the counter, as it seemed like the grass type Pokemon was keeping track of the toast in the toaster oven to make sure it didn't burn.

"Well… Were you too busy to even say hello to your dearly beloved?" the man drawled teasingly, draping himself over her back as he hugged her, her back against his chest. He could already tell what her reaction was going to be though.

The woman rolled her eyes at his action, flipping over the omelet in the pan as she did so. "I could've said hello sooner had I not been a good wife and made you and the family breakfast." She nudged his side with her elbow, glancing to side to smirk at him playfully. "I mean I could just leave this up to yourself, but we all know how horrible you are in the kitchen."

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She turned back to face the stove, deeming the omelet perfectly fried before turning the stove off. "You're excused, darling," she said, only to be answered by a good-natured chuckle. She felt his grip around her waist tighten as the dark-brunette nuzzled his head into the curve of her neck. "Did you miss me though?" he muttered, placing a small kiss on her neck.

The blonde woman sighed once again and smiled softly. "Don't be so full of yourself," she said, before turning completely to face him, his arms still around her. "But I did miss you. I guess," she looked into his eyes as she said so, pulling him in for a quick kiss before shoving him lightly away.

"Now get going, you still got a table to set up. I mean, I can't do everything around here all the time y'know? I still got some frying to finish up here."

The man laughed to himself, as he proceeded to do so. His eyes were locked onto his wife's back, pondering to himself at what he even did to deserve such a person. He always wondered why and how the woman fell in love with him. What he even did, he didn't know. But he was glad to have her and their daughter and Pokemon in his life.

He heard his wife shout for their daughter to come help her out with breakfast when he was done setting up the table. His daughter flew into the kitchen, Castform following close behind her. The Pokemon had a certain attachment to her, even though he was his Pokemon. The man would make an exception though, the Pokemon had been with her ever since she was born.

His daughter made her way to her mother, soon enough bickering with the woman about the differences between chocolate and vanilla, as she preferred the former over the ladder. Her mother couldn't understand her child's fondness toward chocolate ice cream for some reason. Their bickering continued on for a few minutes, and the man laughed to himself again. The woman's Bellossom turned gaze away from the toaster oven, to send an annoyed and resigned glance at the duo, before glancing at the man. She rolled her eyes as she gestured to them, but the man knew better. The small smile creeping its way to the Pokemon's face clearly gave her away, but he decided to indulge her anyway as he nodded at her.

It was times like these where he could completely forget just how tired he even was because of the wonderful people and Pokemon that made up his family.

Once again, what did he do to deserve them? He had no idea. But he was just so so glad he could spend the rest of his life with his family and Pokemon.

However, as he gave his full attention to the humorous argument in front of him, the man didn't notice the sudden quietness that fell around the town.

* * *

  **2149: Present**

Kaitlyn Brooks was in a tight spot. Definitely, in a tight spot.

Currently, the nineteen-year old girl was scavenging around the abandoned town in the middle of Route 103, looking for something, anything, to eat. Whether it be a loaf of bread or a small Oran Berry, she didn't care. Her stomach definitely wouldn't complain. She just needed something to eat. And some water would also help her predicament a lot as well.

Though it would help more if she could get some food for her Pokemon first. Surely they deserved the food more than her, for all the hard work they even do. She probably could last for another few more days without food.

Her Petilli hopped around next to her, just as desperate as Kaitlyn was, as he scavenged around as well. Looking to the side, he saw his trainer glancing around the vicinity, before eyeing the broken down Pokemart store. Well, whatever remained of it anyways.

Walls were cracked and the ceiling looked like it was about to inwardly collapse. The Petilli floated over to the door of the Pokemart, observing it. He noted that it was jammed shut.

He heard his trainer's footsteps behind him. She placed her hand on the jammed door, looking for any way to open the jammed slide doors. She sighed and put her hand down, noting that there wasn't any use. The Petilli continued to nudge her, encouraging her to try and find another way, but she only shook her head.

"Leo, it's ok. We can always try food in another town or store anyways," she said to the grass type Pokemon. Both of them however, knew that chances of doing that were low.

The last time Kaitlyn and her Pokemon had a meal was probably a week ago, and the last time they even had any water was two days ago. Kaitlyn had always had a scrawny and gangly build. Everyone knew about that. People had always compared to her to a fishbone back then, much to her dismay.

Add that to the current situation she was in, and she was severely malnourished. Leo wouldn't be surprised if people started comparing Kaitlyn to a skeleton rather than a fishbone.

She may be determined to give him whatever rations they found, but she obviously forgot how stubborn he could be. He already promised to look out for her and Kit, the Vibrava who was currently resting in Kaitlyn's Pokeball, and he intended to keep that promise.

No matter the circumstances, he had vowed to keep a smile on their faces. The Petilli never wanted to let either Kaitlyn or Kit down. Ever. Again.

The girl however, didn't seem to notice his reverie, as she turned to walk away, ready to find another place to search at, dull green eyes hopelessly scanning around the area again. Leo immediately snapped out of his thoughts, and quickly made his way over her, tugging at her dark turquoise jacket to stop her from walking. He pulled at her jacket pocket, gesturing toward Kit's Pokeball. _Kit's right here, just have him break down the door!_ he thought, trying to convey his thoughts as best as he could through his squeaks.

She continued to look cluelessly at him, but understood that he wanted her to take Kit out of his Pokeball. She took out the Pokeball and enlarged it, before throwing it up in the air.

The Vibrava was released into the air, settling down onto the girl's head, briefly musing up her auburn hair. _Did you need something?_

Kit glanced at her, expecting her to give him a command to do something, but she shook her head, gesticulating toward Leo instead. Leo cleared his throat lightly, catching the Vibrava's attention. _Apparently, Kaitlyn forgot that you could easily bust down this door, and gave up, thinking that there's no hope left or this Pokemart. That silly girl. Mind proving her wrong?_ He was answered with a slow nod in return.

The Vibrava was about to power up to unleash an Earth Power, determined to break down the doors that would promise their own survival. Kaitlyn's eyes widened, becase much to the Pokemons' dismay, still having no idea what he was doing. "W-wait, Kit. What are yo-"

And then, the silence that surrounded them stopped.

A tell-tale snap of a twig underfoot. Someone was behind them, and he or she was getting closer. She hoped to Arceus that the said person hadn't seen her.

She couldn't deal with a confrontation. She could _afford_ a confrontation.

Kit had stopped powering up his Earth Power and was looking nervously at the direction of the noise. Kaitlyn seemed to be about to get into a panic attack. The only one in the group to keep a level head was Leo, and he ushered everyone as quickly as his little form could to the side of the building, behind a bush. It really was the only place that provided any protection at such an open area.

It was a young man. One with extremely pale skin and raven black hair tied back into a slight ponytail with some strands of hair framing his face. His skin and hair a complete mess, probably because he hadn't washed himself for a long time. He had surprisingly different colored eyes, his left eye blue and right eye green. He was extremely tall compared to her measly 5'5 too as he seemed to be at least 6 feet tall. Perhaps taller. Kaitlyn was intimidated already.

But that wasn't all.

If anything really really intimidated her, it was the nasty scar over his right eye. She had no idea what the young man ever did to even get that scar in the first place, but she didn't even want to know. She didn't want to involve herself with him. She had no idea what he would even do with her if he found her out.

What could he even do? Demand supplies from her? Demand her to hand over her Pokemon? Mock her for her current situation? Injure her with a weapon or with his Pokemon?

Take advantage of her? She shuddered to herself at the horrid thought.

The opportunities were endless. And see here, this is why she didn't want to involve herself with anyone ever again.

She had no idea if the man had seen her hiding behind the sad excuse of a hiding spot, but it was the only thing she had. She could only just hope that he had not seen any sign of her and move along. Or hope that he had at least some pity to let her go. If the food in the Pokemart was all he wanted, she would gladly hand it over. Really. She would. Whole-heartedly.

Two Pokemon followed him by his side. A bipedal, gray, fox like Pokemon with crimson and black accents, smirking to himself as he trotted alongside his trainer. The other Pokemon looked rather similar to him, except having yellow and white fur rather than shades of black, gray, and crimson. She had a long snout, with giant yellow and red ears. A Zoroark and a Braixen.

Even if they were found and stood their ground to fight, Kaitlyn knew it would be hopeless for them. She wasn't even a great fighter, let alone a battler. And the type-disadvantage was discouraging as well.

The raven-haired man slowed his already slow pace, pulling to a stop right in front of the Pokemart doors. There was a pause, as he studied a door, and then he eyed the dark-type Pokemon next to him. The said Pokemon seemed to know exactly what to do.

Getting his paws in position, the Zoroark got ready for a powerful Focus Blast, intent on blasting open the door as he proceeded to do so. The door soon enough gave away, leaving an opening that anyone could follow through. The man was about to crawl his way through, but first gave a look to the fire type Pokemon behind him, and she nodded in return. Steadily, the man made his way into the Pokemart, the dark-type Pokemon following close behind him. The Braixen stayed behind, standing right in front of the Pokemart store.

The Pokemon was keeping watch. Oh dear Arceus, Kaitlyn was screwed.

The Pokemon patrolled around the front of the building, her orange cat-like eyes observing everything around her. Moments after looking, her gaze rested on a bush. The very same bush that Kaitlyn and the others were trying to hide behind.

Kaitlyn knew what this meant. They were seen. If only she had a good escape route. But if she even stepped a foot out of her sad hiding spot, she would be out in the open. And who knows what that Pokemon would do.

She quietly returned Kit into his Pokeball, ignoring his protests to stay out to support his trainer. She tried to do the same with Leo, but he refused to even do so, defiantly glaring at her, daring for her to even try doing so.

What could have been minutes felt like hours. Hours that the fox like Pokemon spent staring. Just staring. With no signs of doing anything otherwise.

The man carefully stepped back outside, carrying a few bags of food and supplies in his hands, and approached the silent fire-type Pokemon, Zoroark following close behind. He stopped in his tracks when the Pokemon faced him, raising an eyebrow, as if he was silently communicating with her.

He took a step toward the bush. Kaitlyn stiffened up, huddling herself as close to the bush as possible. Her knees were pushed to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them, head buried in her knees as she shivered in anticipation. Leo tensed up as well, readying himself to jump out and fight if he needed to.

There was another long silence.

Then a voice. "... I know you're there," the man softly said.

Her breathing shifted into something more extreme. Leo could tell Kaitlyn was hyperventilating now. The man and the Pokemon could probably hear her erratic breathing even from there, as it gradually got even louder.

The Petilli knew he had to do something. Hadn't he promised he would look out for her and Kit no matter what? What type of Pokemon would he be if he couldn't?

At the moment, one thing was clear. Kaitlyn was in trouble. And she didn't have any idea what to do. It was that man's fault. It was his fault she was in this state in the first place. He was a threat to them. He was a threat to their safety. He was a threat to Kaitlyn's safety. The Petilli had no idea what he had to do to get the man to leave them alone but he -

And then suddenly the Pokemon felt… content. There was a reassuring voice that he could hear from the back of his head, just talking to him. A calm, soothing voice. He didn't know where it came from, but he felt like he was at peace.

 _Don't worry._ The faint voice said, quietly speaking to him. It sounded a little muffled, and he could barely hear it, but he still managed to decipher the words. _Trust your instincts. You and your trainer will be safe. Don't fear what's ahead of you. There's nothing to worry about._

Strangely enough, he believed the sincere voice. He could feel himself relax, and he got up a bit from the ground, rustling a few stray leaves as he did so. It caught Kaitlyn's attention, as she lifted her head from her knees. They exchanged a look, and her eyes widened when she figured out what the Pokemon was going to do. "Leo, what are you-"

He carefully stepped out of the bush, facing the man and his two Pokemon. The man was crouching down to be leveled with Leo, as if to show that he meant no harm. The two other Pokemon were still standing, but they didn't seem to be in a battle position or anything. If anything, they seemed to have their guards completely down The Zoroark was nonchalantly glancing at the sky, not really caring about the situation presented in front of him while the Braixen had a rather gentle smile on her face.

Leo felt more reassured. He still had his guard up a bit, but he felt better about the situation.

The Braixen took a step toward him. He stiffened again.

The Pokemon started to speak to him. _You're still worried? Don't worry, Warren wouldn't hurt anyone._

Leo eyed the man's burn scar on his face. The Braixen cringed slightly and sighed. Well. Without reason.

Her troubled expression then cleared up as quick as it had gone away. _He's a gentle soul, I promise. I know he seems like he wouldn't be with how intimidating he looks, but he's anything but that. If anything, he was wondering if you guys needed anything._ She gestured to the bags on the ground with a sweep of her tail.

The Petilli weighed his were food. Supplies. Everything that they had needed for the past week was in those bags. Only a fool wouldn't accept them.

But then again. How could he risk his trainer's safety if the Pokemon was lying?

The voice inside his head spoke again. _Don't doubt yourself. The answer is right in front of you. You are safe. There's nothing to worry about._

The Petilli found himself slowly nodding, agreeing with the voice. It sounded much more clear, not as muffled as it was before. There was that sincerity and clarity that had him convinced that the voice was speaking nothing but the truth.

He decided to take a gamble. He took a step toward the man.

He knew he was pushing his luck. His instincts were telling him that the man had good intentions for whatever reason, and he decided to trust them. However, if his instincts were wrong, then it could be all over for them. They could be dead in seconds. It was a risky move.

But it was a risk he was willing to take.

There was no reaction from the man. He was still crouched down. His physical features still frightened him a little, with his big build and everything. But there was a certain aura around him. Something Leo couldn't explain. Is aura was anything but intimidating. Trusting.

He took another step. And then another step. Until he was right in front of the man, making eye contact with him. Then a long silence.

A tall man, a tiny Pokemon, and a long silence.

The man brought his hand up, hovering a bit over Leo's head. Watching from behind the bush, Kaitlyn tensed up again. Leo didn't move.

What happened next was surprising to Kaitlyn, yet not so astonishing to Leo.

The man smiled softly. And pat Leo's head. The voice at the back of Leo's head once again spoke. _See? You were worrying too much. You are safe. You were worrying about nothing._

And then Leo understood.

"Wait.. Leo?" He heard Kaitlyn's voice from afar, her voice sounding slightly betrayed. Breaking eye contact with the man, the Pokemon bounded back toward his trainer, nudging her out of the bush in the process, intentionally doing so to force his trainer to meet the man. The raven-haired man wasn't a threat, and he didn't want his trainer to fret any longer. _Though easily said then done,_ he thought, as Kaitlyn cowered slightly from the man's rather terrifying height as he stood up.

He could've sworn he heard the Zoarark's snickers a few feet away, only to stop after a hard shove from the Braixen. Yeah. Serves him right.

Kaitlyn stood in front of the man and felt like she was shrinking under the man's steady gaze. Yes, she generally trusted Leo's judgement. His judgement was normally a lot better than her's, but that didn't mean she wasn't careful. She cleared her throat a little, and winced at how loud it was. "Um.. hello."

No reply.

"Um… I'm Kaitlyn, and this is Leo," she introduced awkwardly.

A long pause. And then a reply. "Warren. The Zoroark is Vex and the Braixen is Vera," he said curtly. Both of the Pokemon nodded.

There was another long awkward pause. Kaitlyn was too nervous to easily execute the conversation and Warren too unused to talking to others to do so.

With bags of supplies still in one of his hands, he took out a separate bag and gruffly held it out in front of him. Kaitlyn flinched at his sudden movement, but calmed down when she realized what he was doing. She eyed the bag, raising an eyebrow slightly. _What am I supposed to do here?_

Warren sighed in slight exasperation. His arm was getting tired holding out this bag for the auburn-haired girl. Slowly, to not startle the girl, he placed the bag of supplies into her arms and stepped back, not knowing what else to do. Vex snickered at his trainer's awkwardness.

She looked through the contents in the bag and smiled, her green eyes slowly brightening. Everything they needed was in here. From first-aid supplies, to cooking equipment. There was a map, matches, rope, and so _so_ much food. She never expected such a gruff man to be so… kind. In a world like this, it wasn't uncommon for people to steal from each other or even kill each other for whatever contents they had. In a world like this, it was hard to find such kindness from other people. Frankly, she was lucky she managed to come across this guy out of all things. "Thanks," she smiled.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he turned around, making his way to leave. Wait. He was leaving already?

"W-wait!"

He turned around to face her, eyeing her carefully. For a moment Kaitlyn was intimidated again from his demeanor, suddenly well aware of the burn scar on his face again. Granted his burn scar seemed to take up most of his face, though it was mostly centered around his right eye. For some reason she had completely forgotten it was there for a while.

It was with that she remembered his generosity. His surprising gentleness. And suddenly she wasn't so scared anymore.

"Um… if that's alright with you… could I join you?" she asked quietly.

There was an inexplicable sort of emotion she could see in his eyes as she had asked the question, she realized, as if he was in some sort of turmoil. She immediately regretted it. She obviously did not think this through and cringed at her… eloquent words. Even if he had been incredibly kind, he probably wouldn't appreciate her intrusiveness. Oh Arceus, what if he just preferred to spend his time alone? She really screwed up here.

Kaitlyn took a step back, ready to make a quick retreat, stumbling across her words. "I-i mean, if that's ok with you, b-but if it's not then that's totally fine. I mean, it's not like I'm going to be offended, if anything you're the one who's probably going to be offended. Oh gosh, you are offended are you, I'm so sorry about th-" she stopped in mid-babble when she felt Vex nudged her slightly, cackling under his breath, probably because of her embarrassment.

Warren's back was facing her again his head still turned to her though. Without any words he gestured her to come with him as he continued walking to the direction he was heading to before. It was acknowledgment. It was acceptance.

It was his confirmation.

And that was more than enough for her.

So without any words either, she picked up her pace to catch up with the silent man, Leo following behind her with Vex and Vera following Warren's lead.

* * *

The glaring sun. The blue skies and white clouds. The unpredictable landscapes. The rustling of the leaves. The shifts of the wind patterns. The cries of the wild Pokemon.

The calls of the wild.

It was something that Aster Drake always craved for if he was being honest with himself. It was the one thing that seemed to remain a constant because if anything, there was never a chance that it would disappear.

The world that was now was an unstable one. He could still remember when everything crashed down around him, and even then he still had no idea how such a innocent world turned into something like this. It was like something that only happened in fiction. He could still remember a video game that he had played as a child that had an eerily similar plot to this, but even then he could never finish the game due to it's difficulty. But nothing about that.

Dwelling on the past wasn't going to change anything. This was a literal game of survival. And at the moment his life was in peril.

As if she could read his thoughts, his Gardevoir, Celestine, looked at him exasperatedly.

Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating. But even then, he was caught in a dead end.

His supply stock was reaching to an all new low, and it was beginning to worry him. The place he was at was also leaving him more apprehensive than ever as well. Not to mention, his need for some food. A readjusted his backpack, wincing at it's lightness.

He needed to find a new client. Anyone really, he didn't even care. As more time passed he had less and less clients. Probably because they either died or just never felt the need to come back. Population patterns and all that crap. The black-haired teen tensed up again. Celestine shoved at him in an attempt to calm him and break the tension. It was a rather horrible attempt though, as it had nearly knocked him over, causing him to uncharacteristically stumble on his feet. She smiled sweetly at him, as he whipped around to glare at the Psychic-type Pokemon, and he noticed how overly sweet it was. He narrowed his eyes at her. She laughed. Mhm. Yeah, sure. How hilarious.

He knew what she was trying to do though, and appreciated her actions, knowing full well what her actions meant. He thanked the Gardevoir after she was done laughing with a simple pat on her shoulder. In a way, she was right. He was more determined than ever before

No matter the circumstances, he wasn't going to give in. Not a chance.

After all, he was the Devil. And the Devil had a reputation to uphold after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character List: 
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilli) and Kit (Vibrava)   
>  \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)   
>  \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and (?)


	3. Ultimatum

It was when Kaitlyn started traveling with Warren that she realized that was more to him that met the eye.

At first glance, anyone would feel threatened by his giant appearance. His dark clothes and extremely pale skin had set her aback the first time she had saw him, and his height hadn't helped either. And neither did that burn scar.

But underneath that surly appearance was a rather sweet guy. It wasn't that he was a carbon cut-out of one of those princes she had read about in those storybooks early on in her childhood. If anything, it was the little acts that mattered.

Like when he'd offer the last bits his food to her Pokemon when they were low on stocks. Or when he'd slow his pace down whenever they were traveling if he noticed she was tired. Or when he would nonchalantly offer her a spare scarf of his when it got too cold at night. Or when he'd go out of his daily self-training to help her pack up for their next trip instead.

Despite his quiet demeanor, he was surprisingly chivalrous, and she steadily grew to appreciate his company. And his Pokemon's company.

Vera was one of the most delightful Pokemon she had ever had the pleasure of meeting. The Braixen always knew how to lighten up the mood whenever it grew somber, and she'd always look out for Kit whenever Leo couldn't. She had a habit of playing with her stick-wand, twirling it around often while emitting some small flames here and there. Kaitlyn found that rather endearing.

Vex, on the other hand, was rather… interesting. In lack of words. The Zoark seemed to be everywhere at once, and for some reason, never lacking in energy. He never passed an opportunity to prank someone, always sporting a wild grin while he was at it. Kaitlyn remembered the first time he had introduced her to his special ability. To pull off certain illusions. She grimaced. How annoying.

Vex had illusioned himself as Warren, and Kailyn had accidently mistook him as the real Warren. It wasn't so hard to pull off the prank really, as the Pokemon didn't really have to talk at all. Kaitlyn had already gotten more used to Warren's quiet nature, and didn't expect him to talk. So naturally, when Warren didn't speak a single word to her, she just assumed that he was just being himself.

She nearly had a heart attack when the real Warren had approached her. Her own Pokemon were too. Vera just seemed annoyed at Vex's behavior, and the real Warren groaned, as if this was a usual antic.

Kaitlyn had shuddered when she realized this would be a daily occurrence.

But after two months of traveling together, she grew a bit more attached to them nonetheless. They knew how to lighten up the mood, and that was appreciated. There were even moments when she would forget about how hopeless she had been.

However, it was always at the dead of the night that she would remember the horrors of reality.

Moments when she would be still up and keeping watch, with Warren asleep in his sleeping bag. Tossing. Turning. Sweating. Eyes wrenched shut. There were moments when Kaitlyn could hear the occasional uncharacteristic whimper from him. Vex and Vera seemed to know what was going on, and normally ended up comforting him, whether it be by waking him up or cuddling him until he finally stopped moving.

The first time it had happened, Kaitlyn had assumed it wasn't a common occurrence. It was normal, everyone had nightmares every once in awhile. Especially in such a time like this, she wouldn't blame anyone for having trouble sleeping.

Even she did too. Past demons would return to haunt her, her only solace being her Pokemon who had been through the experiences with her to comfort her.

But for Warren, it was something different. It seemed more eerie. He literally had nightmares every single night, if not, once every other night. It wasn't healthy. Kaitlyn wanted to help him out, she desperately wanted to. But the fact remained that she wasn't even a close friend of his. While she might have considered him as a close friend, one of her first friend in years, he might have considered her as a mere temporary acquaintance.

She didn't have the right to meddle with his life. Especially with his past. It was obvious it was a sensitive subject.

So Kaitlyn had stayed quiet, remaining blissfully unaware of Warren's nighttime terrors as she gazed at the campfire, waiting for them to pass.

* * *

It was morning, Warren noted to himself. Not that he needed to anyway. It was plenty obvious it was morning, considering the rising sun.

Somehow, he had slept through his entire nighttime shift, leaving Kaitlyn to stay up to keep watch. She was supposed to wake him up sometime throughout the middle of the night to get her own rest, but he guessed she must've felt pity for him and let him sleep throughout the night. He grimaced.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew she was just trying to be considerate. And he appreciated that. He just didn't like how she had to go out of her way to risk her health for him. From the looks of it, with the bags under her eyes, her mused up hair, and slight frown on her face, she had a hard night. She could've used all the rest she could've gotten.

He would be lying if he said he didn't feel guilty.

Grunting to himself, he stood up, brushing his hand over his tangled hair. Vex nudged him, asking him about his night and obviously worried about him, but Warren simply nodded his head.

Kaitlyn turned to him from her seat on the log. "Good morning," she smiled at him, but he could tell it was a little forced. Whenever she really smiled, she would smile with all she had, but this time, she only quirked her lips up the smallest bit.

Just like a certain someone he used to know.

No, now wasn't the time to dwell on the past. He could easily do that at night. It was the start of a new day now. He didn't want to burden Kaitlyn anymore than he had already. He ignored the voice at the back of his head that scoffed at the thought, and instead looked around the campsite to find something to do.

Leo and Kit were already packing up the blankets. At least, as much as they could do, as Kit messily picked at the blankets and Leo hovered above him. He was about to help the two small Pokemon out until he saw Vera make her way over to fold the blankets with them. Well, that option was out.

Vex, on the other hand, had long moved away from Warren to give him some space, and was stacking the inventory with Kaitlyn. Most of the supplies he had found the night he met Kaitlyn were still there.

He remembered when he had first met her. She had been so freaked out by him, he was surprised she hadn't ran instead of hidden from him. Had he been someone else, who knows what he or she would've done with her. She didn't even have a weapon, just her Pokemon, and even then they weren't even that strong at the moment. If anything, she needed to learn how to defend herself. She was going to be vulnerable if she was alone.

He didn't want to admit it, but a small part of him was already slightly attached to her. She seemed to be getting a little more comfortable with him as well, which was a relieve.

But he knew he shouldn't get his hopes up too much. Nothing ever stayed this good.

A sigh from Kaitlyn's direction forced Warren out of his thoughts. She was pulling her wavy auburn hair into a braid, but her green eyes were staring at the bag, in search for something. Once she was done, she rummaged through the bag again before narrowing her eyes. She zipped up the bag and looked up around the trees and bushes. Her strange behavior was beginning to worry him. "... What's wrong?" He reluctantly asked.

"Nothing, it's just," she paused. "There's barely any food left?" She picked at the packs of crackers on the ground she had left out. He could feel her frustration coming off in waves, and in a way he was too. Out of all the supplies they had, medical kits, blankets, water, and more, the one thing they were short off was food.

At least this gave him something to do.

He grabbed his machete and walked toward the edge of the campsite without saying a word. To anyone else, this might've seemed rude, but he knew she understood what he was doing, as she didn't say anything else and instead continued to sort through the inventory. He was going out to search for some food. Maybe some berries would suffice.

Walking through the bushes, he kept an eye out for any other berries that could be out. He knew the chances of that were slim, as most of the berries were probably picked already, but it never hurt to try.

The weather was steadily beginning to worsen though, and he felt himself sweat under his layers of clothes as the sun rose even higher. Hoenn was a humid region, but lately, it was getting way too hot, and he generally wasn't a big fan of that. He just wanted to hurry up, find those berries or possibly extra supplies, and make it back to campsite. Maybe he should've brought Vex or Vera to keep him company, but later he dismissed the thought. If a bandit or intruder made it to the campsite with Kaitlyn alone with just her Pokemon, who knows what would happen.

It was a better idea to leave Vex and Vera there for protection's sake. He could easily handle things outside by himself.

Or maybe he was just paranoid. It was an understandable paranoia though, considering the daily conditions of Hoenn now.

It was when an hour or so passed that Warren somehow found what he was looking for. If he were any younger, he would've rejoiced and pumped his fist out in victory. But he was twenty-one now though, so a smile and a sigh of relief would've been enough.

Now if only he could have easy access to the berries. Because they were seriously mocking him.

Because of course, they all had to be on a hanging tree that was hovering over a large ravine with a river overflowed with rapids at the bottom. What were the odds?

It reminded him of those classic comedic cartoons he had watched as a preteen, sitting on the couch in the living room with his parents and sister. He remembered chuckling at the absurdity of the situation, vowing to himself to never pull off such a dangerous move.

Well, turns out he really is going to do something like this. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Without even any ropes to secure himself, he walked toward the edge of the ravine, climbed the trunk, and took a step onto the thick branch, testing its sturdiness. It wasn't as strong as he would've liked, and briefly he debated on just turning back and taking his chances elsewhere, but soon decided to just go along with what he was doing. It was a reckless move, but what were his chances of finding extra food again?

The berries were probably there for a reason. No one dared to risk their life for some food. Call Warren stupid, especially when he could've just went back and got Kit to get the food for him, but he didn't want to walk hours back to the campsite and come back, with the chance of them being gone. He was confident enough in his abilities to make it out unscathed.

He took another step and let go of the trunk, going onto all fours and placing his hands on the branch instead. He steadily began to inch his way across it, and made it across the middle of the branch, shuddering to himself when he took a glance at the bottom of the ravine. It was a long way down.

He picked what berries he could on the tree, as he wiped the sweat on his brow. There was a variety of them, from Oran Berries to Lychee Berries and more. It was surprising really, who knew a tree could grow a variety of berries. He wasn't aware of that, but he guessed he would learn knew things every day, whether they be big or small. This was just one of them.

As he had no pockets, whenever his hands were full, he would dump them to the ground onto the grass. He hoped they didn't bruise too much, but he doubted either he nor Kaitlyn and the other Pokemon would even care. There were worst things to worry about.

Most of the berries lied around the edges of the tree, which meant he had to go to the edge of the branch to even reach them. And with that meant more chances of the branch snapping.

Warren moved onto the edge of the branch, slowing his movements and being more careful than ever. The branch was creaking dangerously, but he had a feeling it would hold. For now.

He was going to have to make this quick. And with that he proceeded to pick more berries. After just a few moments, he finished, and tossed the berries onto the grass again. With that, he steadily began to inch his way back to the trunk, eager to set his feet back onto the ground where it was safe.

And because luck was obviously on his side, that the branch decided to snap right then and there.

And with that was a sharp pain to the side of his head, lots of water, and a shield of black.

* * *

Morning turned to afternoon, turned into noon, and Kaitlyn was still waiting for Warren to come back to the campsite. It already had been hours, and still, no sign of him. Vex and Vera were already getting anxious, keeping their eyes and ears sharp in an attempt to hear Warren when he returned.

Scratch that, if he returned.

To Kaitlyn, the chances of him never returning again were pretty low. He was resourceful. He was experienced. He had been in better conditions than her when she had met him. But even then, she had to admit even the most experienced people out there weren't invincible.

After all, it was a dog eat dog world. She learned her lesson the first time.

She wrapped her turquoise jacket closer to herself and huddled against the tree she was sitting near. The only thing she could do was wait and hope for the best.

* * *

" _Warren, I can't believe you've been keeping something as extraordinary as this from me for all these years!"_ _A black haired girl danced across his vision, pudgy arms spread out wide as she spun in circles. Her giggles filled the air as she collapsed onto the grass next to him where he sat at. The 6-year old boy groaned in reply at her antics._

" _Feel the need to shout it any louder, why don't you. And before we know it, even the champion of Hoenn will hear your screeching." Warren muttered, only to receive a hard slap at his back. He coughed._

" _Oh shush you, I know what I'm doing," the girl said._

_He tugged her hair in retaliation, receiving a shriek of pain as the girl got up. Blue eyes glared at him, and he shrugged in response. It was her own fault. She started it._

_The girl sighed deeply before flopping back down onto the grass again. A moment of comfortable silence, and then she spoke again. "You know I'm not gonna tell anyone. Right?"_

_Fondness and affection washed over Warren at her words. He didn't know what else to offer, except a smile and confirmation. "Yea, I know Astrid."_

* * *

The moment he woke up, the only thing Warren could put together the intense headache he was sporting.

He was laid down on a giant pile of leaves and next to a makeshift fireplace. He sat up from his laid position, wincing from the dull throb on his head, and placed his hand on it. Instead of feeling his black hair, his hand felt a bandage instead. It confused Warren, because this meant that someone bandaged him up, but who in the right mind would help a total stranger?

Unless he or she were expecting something out of this.

Also, what happened to Vex and Vera? And Kaitlyn and her own Pokemon. Judging from the dark sky, he was probably out for the entire day, and they were probably searching for him. He felt vulnerable without his Pokemon, even though he fortunately had his weapon with him. He was about to get up from his position on the pile of leaves before a voice interrupted him.

"Why are you in a rush? And this is how you thank me?"

A 17 year old boy. Raven black hair similar to his own, a pair of golden eyes, with angular features. To many, this boy would seem like an ordinary teenager, but the diagonal knife scar on his right cheek and canines said otherwise.

The Devil himself. Oh Arceus, he was going to get blackmailed or something was he. Warren's luck was definitely on point. First he had no breakfast, and then he fell off of a ravine, and now this. His stomach growled in discontent.

The 17 year old boy in front of him smiled malcontently. "Warren! It's been a while. It was… interesting to see you in such a position."

Warren mentally groaned himself. He didn't like the smirk on the boys face. "Aster."

Aster grinned. "Aww, why the frown on your face? I would think you'd be ecstatic to see me."

No reply. Aster wasn't surprised at that really. It didn't seem like Warren was in the mood. He couldn't blame him, he wouldn't want to be in such a predicament either. After all, with such an… act of kindness meant that a debt must be payed.

Only a naive idiot would pass up an offer such as this.

"I'm going to be blunt and straight to the point. I need shit. People have ransacked every place I have come across, and with more people dying by the day, that means less customers. Instead of having people come to me, I have to come to _them._ Which is very inconvenient for my sake. So, I'm merely requesting you for some assistance."

Warren grimaced. "What's in it for me?"

The raven-head boy mockingly gasped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now why would you ask such a question, when it was I who saved your ass just thirty minutes ago? The least you can do is pay me back with some supplies. Maybe some med kits, food, blankets, anything really. I'm not a picky guy."

"I don't have anything Aster, stop trying."

"Don't take me for an idiot, I've passed by that store and it's mostly empty, except for things I don't need. And with you within the general vicinity, it isn't hard to put two and two together. Don't you have a friend with you there as well? It'd be a shame if I just left you here, swooped on by your campsite, took all your shit, leaving her defenseless and alone."

This was the one thing Warren feared about Aster. An infamous informant, the teen knew everything about everyone. He never ran into trouble, but that was what made him dangerous. He always remained in good shape, always kept his guard, and always had a way to manipulate his way out. And if he had the right cards in his deck, he always drove a hard bargain. He knew too much for his own good.

"Look, I'm not asking for much. And I don't want to play the bad guy here, but desperate times call for desperate measures. We can either take the easy way out, or the hard way. Your choice."

An ultimatum, and there wasn't much Warren could do. The fact also remained that Vex and Vera were with Kaitlyn, and if Aster left him, he would have no way out. He had fallen into a ravine of all places, and the only way out was the climb up the cliffside. And even then, with how steep it was, Warren wasn't sure how possible that would be.

And he didn't want Vex or Vera to be anywhere close to someone he didn't trust. Over how dead body.

He didn't want to admit that a small part of him was a bit protective of Kaitlyn and her Pokemon too.

Warren sighed deeply and made eye contact with Aster. Aster smirked. "I can see that you've made up your mind."

A Pokeball was tossed into the air. "Celestine, teleport us out of here!"

* * *

There were footsteps.

Kaitlyn woke up from her light slumber against the tree she had been huddled up against. It was pitch black, and there was no source of light. The moon shone brightly leaving an eerie glow on the forest floor. A chilly breeze brushed against her, and she shivered lightly. Looking down, she noticed that Kit was leaned against her, the Vibrava barely making any noise in his sleep as his wings quivered lightly. Leo, on the other hand, seemed to be alert and startled, as he stared of into the distance.

Vex and Vera were in front of her, both bipedaled Pokemon with their hackles raised, obviously on edge with the disappearance of their trainer. However, it wasn't just that.

The fact remained was that there was someone nearby, with a high chance of it not being Warren.

Whoever was there was coming closer, and Kaitlyn slowly stood up, leaving Kit on the ground. Leo nudged the Pokemon awake, and the Vibrava blinked sleepily. Upon noticing how guarded Vex and Vera looked, he immediately woke up.

Kaitlyn stood in front of Vex and Vera. Vera took her stick out and st it on fire, ready to attack, while Vex got ready to pounce. Kaitlyn's heart pounded wildly. "Who's there, show yourself."

A voice in the shadows, quiet and subdued. "It's ok, just me."

Warren appeared through the bushes, and his Pokemon's previously tense stances immediately softened. He made his way over to reassure them, giving them both light pats on their heads. Vera cooed in reply, while Vex grinned. They didn't notice Warren's second party member though.

"What a nice welcoming party, pleasure to meet you." Kaitlyn jumped at the second appearance of Warren's friend.

"Um…"

Warren groaned. "He's just here to pick up some stuff. His presence here is temporary."

The stranger ignored Warren and casually walked up to Kaitlyn, who awkwardly took a step back. He reached his head out. "Aster Drake, and you are?"

Leo, on the ground, was getting a little agitated upon seeing how uncomfortable Kaitlyn was, and nearly floated up in front of Aster's face just to tell him off. Kaitlyn, however, knew exactly what the Pokemon was going to pull, and kicked him lightly with her feet. She laughed uneasily. "Kaitlyn Brooks."

Warren was on his knees and rustled through some bags. "Pleasures aside, here's some stuff. Take whatever you want, just don't over indulge yourself."

"Will do."

It was official. Kaitlyn had no idea what was going on.

As the raven dug through their supplies, Warren pulled Kaitlyn to the side. "Don't ask, I'm just letting Aster take whatever he needs to pay back a debt."

"Who is he?"

"An infamous informant. I've met him a couple of times before. Normally I wouldn't associate myself with him, but admittedly, he did save my life today. I really don't want to give him this stuff, but it's the only payment I can give him."

It was obvious he didn't want to continue the conversation, as they both settled into an uneasy silence, with Warren watching Aster and Kaitlyn in deep thought. According to Warren, Aster knew everything. She didn't know how dangerous the younger boy was, but she knew he could potentially offer up useful information. If she could just…

The rustling gradually stopped, and Aster stood up, items stuffed in his blue sling bag. "Well, I'm off. See you all in the fli-"

"Hold on!"

Both Warren and Aster looked at her. It was only from their looks that she realized her sudden outburst. "D-do you have any information about nearby civilizations? Any other people who are actually alive?"

An arched eyebrow. "... What do you have in payment?"

She struggled to come up with a reply.

The teen shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "If you have nothing to offer me, then I'll have to take my leave. Sorry sweetie, but this is a business I'm running."

"J-just come with us then! Until you.. we've… proven our uses?" He still looked unimpressed with her answer. To the side, Warren looked a bit taken aback at her suggestion. It was a given he'd be confused about what was going on though. She never even told him what she had wondered about in the first place.

"We'll share our stuff with you! And offer protection? A group of three is better than one right?"

It was obviously the wrong thing to say, because Aster frowned in response. "I've been out on my own for a while now. I think I would know how to take care of myself."

"No, I-i mean I didn't mean to word it that way. It's just-" She waved her hands wildly, trying to calm herself down in the process. She stuttered over her words, obviously unused to confrontation. After all, she preferred staying the background with her old group, opting out on negotiations with others. "Y-you have to at _least_ be desperate for supplies, since everything's been ransacked. Plus, it's been months since I've last seen another person besides Warren. When's the next chance you can find another customer to your business?"

Aster didn't want to admit it, but the spineless girl did have a point. His last client had been months ago. It was the only reason why he decided to save Warren in the first place. Had he been in good shape with his supplies, he would've left the 21 year old to his death. After all, only the strong survive. Stupid mistakes like that was what separated the weak from the strong.

He sighed. "Information on civilizations was what you wanted? I'll take up your offer, but keep in mind my stay isn't permanent."

She nodded at him before he decided to continue on.

"There _is_ a civilization closeby. In Petalburg City. There's nothing much though, just a small town, but like I said, there _is_ a civilization. If you need assistance, you can go to that city and ask for help. They'd be happy to. There's plenty of food there anyways, especially after your failed attempt with those berries. Just make sure you do that in the morning, because when the sun goes down… you don't want to know what happens there."

Aster made eye contact with the two, golden eyes narrowed. "By the way, if you're stupid enough to actually head there, don't expect me to follow you. I'd advise you to get in there, take what you need, and leave. I'll meet up with you the next route over."

"Because like hell am I ever going back there again."

With that final word and a swoop of his brown hooded cape, the Devil was gone. Warren turned to look at Kaitlyn, eyebrows furrowed together with a look of irritation. "Why would you strike a deal like that with him?"

She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I just- We barely have anything to spare, and wouldn't a civilization be the key to our problems? Aster was right there, he was able to tell us the things we needed to hear. I want Leo and Kit to at least have plenty of food before they sleep, or potions if they ever get hurt. And the same goes for Vex and Vera." She didn't trust Aster too, but she knew she needed the extra info. Her eyes shifted over to the Pokemon behind them, Vex and Vera still in high alert but more calm now that Aster was gone. Leo was on the ground too, diligently by Kaitlyn's side while Kit had fallen back asleep after deeming it safe.

If any of them got hurt, she didn't know what she would do.

Her gaze went back to the ground, unable to make eye contact with him, as he spoke. "In normal circumstances, I probably would be more aggravated, but what's done is done."

She tried to apologize again before he interrupted her. "You already apologized once, you don't need to do it again. Besides, to an extent we needed that information. Having Aster come along might hinder us, but we can't exactly do anything right now besides continue on."

Kaitlyn nodded as he settled down next to their makeshift fireplace, lighting up another flame in the process. "Just don't trust him too easily okay? Remain on your guard when he's around. I'm here if you need me."

She didn't need to be told twice about placing trust on random strangers. She knew that enough from experience. Without a second thought, she picked up Kit, who was still sleeping, and sat down next to Warren and his Pokemon, basking from the warmth of the flames. Leo gravitated near her, sitting on her lap next to Kit. She stared at the flames, lost in her thoughts. "Yea. I know."

Kaitlyn didn't know how long they sat around the fireplace together, but she did know she felt reassured under his presence. She briefly hoped he felt the same about her. Scooting back over to the tree Kit had been sleeping on, she wrapped her jacket around her tighter and dozed off, her Pokemon by her side.

The last thing she remembered was Warren draping a spare blanket over her, before she drifted off into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character List:
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilil) and Kit (Vibrava)  
>  \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)   
>  \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and (?)


	4. Petalburg (Part 1)

_Heal Powders… Revival Herbs… Wow, there's even Energy Roots here, who would've thought?" Kaitlyn plucked the said Energy Root by the tree, showing it to Leo who was scavenging the area with her. She placed the herbs in her makeshift basket that was made out of twigs, before wiping off the sweat on her forehead._

" _Even Energy Roots? Man, those are hard to find," a voice said behind her. She turned around to see her friend Landon, who was bent down at a nearby bush, digging his way through the dirt. His dirty blonde hair was in a disarray, and he pulled out some more roots. He held up the roots victoriously, a boyish grin on his face. "And what do you know, just found some more!"_

_He got up and put the Energy Roots in her basket, his Talonflame trailing behind him. Landon eyed the different herbs in her basket and nodded. "Yea, I think this is enough for Jordan. C'mon, we should get back to the group. They've waited long enough."_

_Kaitlyn got up from her spot and the duo began to make their way back to their base. She was glad to be under Landon's presence. Out of all the people she wanted to be with during such a time, Landon was the person she trusted the most. When the entire world went to hell, before she met the group, one of the first people she had come across was Landon. The boy had been injured with a sprained ankle, with his Talonflame standing guard over him, but somehow Kaitlyn managed to convince the Pokemon she meant no harm and helped bandage him up._

_They decided to stay together, simply because it was dangerous to be alone. There was no law anymore. People would pick off lone travelers, leaving them for the dead as they took what they had. There were no cops to stop them._

_Despite of that though, Landon was a boy who always seemed to have a wide grin on his face. His never-ending optimism always brightened up the mood, no matter how unrealistic it may have seemed. He always looked out for her, making sure she was well taken care of, before worrying about himself. In turn, she made sure he didn't overwork himself, as he was constantly sparring with his Talonflame when they had some down time._

" _Just take a breather would you?" she would always tell him._

" _Nah, someone's gotta look after you," he would retort back, making sure to pinch her cheeks before skipping back to his Pokemon. His Talonflame would caw in response, rolling his eyes at his trainer's antics._

_She didn't know what she would do without him._

" _You really should know how to fight soon," Landon's voice interrupted her thoughts, breaking their companionable silence. It wasn't the first time he had casually mentioned this to her, stating this numerous times._

_She thought about it for a bit, before slowly shaking her head. "Not now, though maybe later? I've always been more of a medic than a fighter anyways." She gestured at the herbs in her basket. Besides, she thought, she was a horrible fighter. She wouldn't be much use anyways._

" _I'm just saying." Landon stretched his arms up into the air, before placing them at the back of his head. "I gave you some of my hunting knives for a reason. You're not too bad at them anyways, no matter what you say. You have potential."_

" _Yea, potential. Okay, keep telling yourself that," she sarcastically said. "Though I would agree, I do have much potential with these hunting knives. Tell me Landon, how great am I with cutting apples with these?"_

_He laughed. "Pft, Kaitlyn stop that. Not that voice again, you know I didn't mean it like that."_

_Her smirk widened. "No seriously tell me Landon. Maybe I should cut some peaches with these while I'm at i-"_

" _Get down!"_

* * *

Kaitlyn jolted up from her sleep, feeling a pang of dizziness from her sudden movement while she was at it. She grasped at her head, wincing a bit before sighing loudly. Next to her, Kit was still sound asleep, curled against her. Leo was nowhere to be seen though. She leaned her head against the tree she was sitting against, and started to gently stroke the sleeping Vibrava, gathering her thoughts together. _That again? I haven't thought about the old group in a long time…_

A rustle of movement to her side shifted her attention, and she noted how Warren was already up and awake. Kicking at the scorched twigs from the fireplace the other night, he greeted her with a blank stare. "Well… you sure woke up rather suddenly. Must've been something."

"Yea, it was," she curtly said. When she didn't hear a response, she knew he wasn't going to pry, which she was thankful for.

It was then Kaitlyn noticed the blanket draped over her lap. She got up from the ground, folding up the blanket. It was surprisingly in rather good shape, the synthetic fibers still put together. It was a little dirty here and there and rather thin, but she didn't really mind. When she was done folding it up, she handed it over to Warren. "Here, did you need this back?"

He eyed it before shaking his head. "You keep it. It's an extra anyways. I've got another one."

She smiled and nodded in reply. With that, she took back the blanket and stuffed it into her backpack. At the sight of Kit asleep next to her backpack, she raised an eyebrow. Kit was somehow still asleep, after all this time. She nudged the Vibrava awake, and the Pokemon gave her a slightly irritated look for her doing so. Kaitlyn simply chuckled, telling him to wake up, as she assumed they would be up and traveling soon.

Warren must've been up for a long time before her, as most of the site was already cleaned up. Supplies were packed and stored away, probably in his own backpack. The only thing that was left was her own stuff, but even then, most of her belongings were already stored away from the day before as well. Vex and Vera at the side were in the middle of a sparring match, and upon closer inspection, she noticed Leo was serving as a referee.

Vex was in the middle of using a series of Shadow Claws against the Braixen, only to have her dance away in every turn. There was a lazy smile in Vera's face, as she twirled her stick and sent a quick Flamethrower his direction. It was an expected move, as Vex sidestepped from the hot flames, before continuing his onslaught of Shadow Claws.

This continued on for a few other moments, and it was obvious that Vera was getting a little bored from the predictable Shadow Claws, until, sprouting from the ground, a blade of grass made her lose her Braixen wasn't expecting the Grass Knot, and ended up tripping ungracefully on her face while she was in the middle of doing a twirl.

Kaitlyn noticed the fire-type pout on the ground as Vex laughed at her face, and noted that Leo was snickering to himself as well. She turned around, shaking her head at the Pokemon's antics, before hearing a screech from Leo. When she glanced back at them, Kaitlyn saw Leo flying away from a weak Will-o-Wisp, and all she had to do was look at a smug Vera to know who did that. Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow at her, and was only met with a shrug, as if it was obvious Leo deserved it.

Meanwhile, Warren was at the side sharpening his machete with a whetstone. "Just let me know when you're ready to head out to Petalburg. It isn't a long journey and we should be able to make it there shortly, but it's best to prepare. We don't know what shape the city is in after all," he called to Kaitlyn. Without another word, he continued to sharpen his machete.

She grabbed her backpack, sat down next to him, and began to sort through her items, making sure everything she needed were in there. As she did so, her thoughts began to drift back to the night before. Petalburg City. Aster made it seem like a dangerous place, when all it really seemed to be a haven of sorts.

There was some shuffling from Warren as he stood up, slinging his backpack around his back and putting away his machete. He beckoned his Pokemon to him, as they bickered with each other, and turned to Kaitlyn. "You ready to head out? I'd rather get there while it's still bright."

She nodded and signaled to Leo and Kit. "Yea, I'm ready."

They set off in a brisk pace. It was obvious Warren wanted to get there as soon as possible, and she struggled a little to catch up. After a while he seemed to notice her plight, hearing her soft pants, and slowed down a little, much to her relief. Silence settled between them once more, and Kaitlyn noted it was a rather companionable silence.

She could only hope that Warren and the rest of the Pokemon thought the same. Hopefully, things would be looking up from here.

* * *

A giant wooden wall was what Warren first noticed was different from the surrounding trees around them. He could hear a small gasp from Kaitlyn behind him and heard her mutter to herself about how grand the wall was. Her Pokemon seemed to be in a similar state, as they fell quiet, taking in the sight. Warren silently shook his head. If she thought this was grand, she'd be in total awe over other cities, especially that one city that was literally made out of trees.

His silence had concerned Kaitlyn though, as she asked him, "So… what now?"

He didn't answer her, as his gaze trailed across the top of the wooden wall, looking for the main entrance. She seemed to get a hint as she shuffled her way closer to him, keeping her steps quiet.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Vex stiffen up, and by following the Pokemon's stare to see two guard towers, and in between them, a giant gate. In the guard towers were two men, armed with weapons, each sporting a cautious stance, gruff expressions on their faces. Warren signaled the Zoroak to settle down, and the Pokemon slackened, as he slowly approached the them.

"What's your business here," one of the men asked, raising an eyebrow at the two adolescents. "You don't look like you have much."

"We do have supplies, but we're just lacking a few key items," Warren replied, not wanting to show too much weakness. He didn't want to be reminded of his previous, stupid stunt with those berries. The guard didn't reply to his statement so he continued on, "We heard from a passerby that there was a civilization here, and wanted to see if we could get any help. We're low on food, and a few other supplies here and there, but we won't be asking for much. We'll pass on by without any trouble, you have my word."

There was a pregnant pause, and Warren noticed that Kaitlyn seemed to be holding her breath. It wasn't until the second guard turned around to give someone the cue to open the gates that she let go of her breath. The first guard gave them a curt smile and a nod. "We'll take your word for it. I'll have someone to escort the both of you to the mayor to have things settled. Just return your Pokemon in your Pokeballs first and have them stay in their Pokeballs at all time. Cautionary manners. Only long-term residents who've been here for at least a few weeks may release their Pokemon."

Warren dug through his backpack and found the said Pokeballs. Both Vex and Vera looked rather indignant to return in the cramped spaces, but did so without complaining much. Kaitlyn did the same, not before giving both her Pokemon brief hugs. Once they were done, the two walked through the gates as they opened up for them.

At first look of the city, Warren himself was a bit taken aback from it. The civilization actually looked… normalized. It was as if nothing had happened to the world, and everything was back at its previous state. There were people outside walking about. Some children played with the smaller Pokemon. He saw a couple walk into the Pokemart, sharing a pleasant conversation together. A man was even fishing by a nearby pond, lounging on his chair with a Corsola.

It had been a while since he'd seen such a sight. It was refreshing.

There was an abrupt cough by his side, and he turned to see a girl with dark unruly blonde hair, with her hands on her hips. A Mothim was settled right on top of her head, making her shoulder length hair seem even messier. The girl sent both Warren and Kaitlyn a bright smile. Warren winced. This girl was glowing too brightly for his tastes, maybe even a bit smug.

"Hi, I'm Chase! I was just passing by when I was sent here by Thomas. Say, you two just come by?"

Before either of them could answer, she swiftly interrupted them, not even pausing to take a breath. "Pft, what am I talking about, of course you two just came by. Telling by your dirty appearances that is…" her voice trailed off, indicating a tint of disdain. Warren noticed Kaitlyn awkwardly check herself, examining the state of her dirty hair, before moving onto her rumpled clothes. He inwardly sighed to himself. When that girl stopped worrying over the simplest things, he'd never know.

Chase gasped, "Oh dear, sorry that must've been rude of me. I tend to think before I speak." The girl's Mothim trilled beside her.

Kaitlyn finally spoke up, still as awkward as she was before. "Um, it's fine."

Chase smiled. "Glad it's water under the bridge. You never introduced yourselves by the way."

Once again, Warren inwardly sighed to himself. _You never gave us the chance to even do so._ Kaitlyn didn't seem to catch on, as she simply replied, "I'm Kaitlyn. And he's Warren."

Chase nodded. "And? Continue on."

"What's there to continue on?"

"Your Pokemon silly. What Pokemon do you have?"

Kaitlyn seemed to be in a bit loss of words with how blunt Chase was. Warren decided to take over for her, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. He didn't want to give any sign of weakness to the girl. She seemed like she was the type of person who knew more than what she brought on. "Kaitlyn has a Petilli and a Vibrava. I've got a Zoroark and a Braixen."

"Hm, a Vibrava _is_ native in Hoenn, but the rest of those Pokemon are pretty rare. Then again, Pokemon locations have been kinda screwed up lately. I mean, mine aren't native too." There was a soft glint in the girl's eye, before it flashed away. It was as if she was storing the information into her brain about their Pokemon. He didn't know why she felt the need to, it wasn't like he was planning on staying long. However, he was still wary.

Chase continued to babble until they reached the mayor's building. "Come on! Sorry, I keep distracting you two. I'm supposed to be taking you to the mayor's house." They followed suit as she led them to the front door, listening to her ramble for a bit. "Did you know this used to be a Pokemon gym. I mean, I know gyms are relevant anymore, and there isn't a use for them as of now, but it's still a fun fact." He noticed the longing tone in her voice before she shook off whatever it was that she was feeling.

"Anyways here you go. Just talk to the mayor, he's a friendly guy, just uh… don't overindulge yourselves okay?" the girl's naturally cheerful voice quieted down. The sudden shift of atmosphere sent a frown on Warren's face, and he raised an eyebrow at her. The girl's warning seemed eerily similar to that of Aster's from the previous night, at least tone wise.

Kaitlyn obviously sensed the change too, as she softly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Just keep your guard up." Chase sent a tense look at the door behind her before continuing on. " Look, I know this here all seems pleasant and familiar, but at the same time, I've never seen anything like this place before. I came here with a group of friends a while ago, and we thought we were finally able to take a break, but we thought wrong. I'm not one to usually warn people ahead of time, but I'm letting you know now. Many people that come here? They don't stay long for a reason."

Warren raised an eyebrow. "Then why are _you_ still here?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm only here to finish something off. After that I'm off."

Without another word, Chase turned away down the road and proceeded to walk off. Kaitlyn called after her, "Wait, can't you just tell us whatever's happening around here?"

Her previous crossed gaze morphed back into her facade from earlier, and she flashed the brunette another bright smile. "Now where's the fun in that?" With a flounce in her step, the blonde was skipping off, her Mothim flying behind her.

Warren sighed. He absolutely despised vague people like Chase.

* * *

Only a single knock was needed before a lighthearted voice sounded from the other side. "Oh, come in, come in!"

Warren cautiously opened the door, trying hard not to let it creak out of courtesy, and was greeted by a slightly obese man with a gentle expression on his face. There were some wrinkles at the side of his eyes, as he grinned at the two from his seat. He set down his book onto the stool next to him, waving the duo over, as they were still standing under the doorway. "What are you two doing just standing there? Welcome, take a seat." He gestured at the two loveseats in front of him.

Kaitlyn walked past Warren and settled herself down in one of them. Warren followed suit before the man began to speak again. "I'm William, the mayor of this city. Please, how can I help you?"

"We were told to speak to you?" Warren started. "We're missing a few supplies, but we're mostly missing food. We were told to come by around here for extra kits. We'll make it quick and be out of your hair soon."

William shook his head, giving out a hearty laugh. "Why leave so soon? At least take the chance to stay for a bit. Anyone is welcome in our lovely city."

From what Aster said that night, it didn't sound like such a lovely city. For all he knew, this city could be a trap. "We just don't want to overstay our welcome. Besides, we'd like to get moving as soon as possible," Warren replied, not at all fazed by the man's joyous actions.

"I'm afraid whether you'd like it or not you're going to have to stay at least a night. We do have a medic who will be more than happy to give you some kits, but I'm afraid our next shipment of food won't come until tomorrow. I'm afraid we're running a bit low, but it'll be here by tomorrow," was Warren's answer.

Warren shared a look with Kaitlyn, silently asking her if it was a good idea to stay a night. He remembered Aster warning them about something occurring when the sun went down. Looking back at the mayor, he questioned, "Where will we stay then? We're not going to be sleeping outside are we?"

A shake of a head. "Sleeping outside? Preposterous! We have our many rooms in our motel for you to stay in. Surely I hope you would find some comfort in it. It's certainly better than sleeping outside." The man seemingly shuddered at the thought.

"Really? There's no catch?" Kaitlyn's hopeful question echoed in the room. Warren himself was still suspicious though. There was something about this man's demeanor that didn't suit him well that was a bit similar to Chase's. He seemed like a man who could easily set up a fake facade.

"Of course not dear. Just settle yourselves into a motel room, and get some medical supplies from our city medic." The man settled back down and got himself comfortable in his seat. He picked up and opened his book again, starting to skim through the pages.

Kaitlyn smiled. "Oh, thanks. We really appr-"

She was cut off. "Now off you both go, I've got a very interesting story in the works here." And with that, they were shooed outside the house before the doors were slammed shut.

It took Warren a while to process what just happened, especially with how rushed William was. Kaitlyn seemed to be in the same state of confusion, as he saw her blink slowly to herself. With that, she gestured toward Warren, eyes settling onto the Pokemart at the edge of the city. "Do you want to head over to the medic right away? Or just find a room to stay in as of now?"

The option to stay over in the town didn't seem like the best idea to Warren, especially with the two warnings he had heard so far. However, there was also the motel room they could've stayed in for the night. Staying put inside the motel room while locking the door could be a good idea. He was well aware that they could be risking it by staying, but they only had just gotten in the city. Not many people might've noticed their presence at all, so he and Kaitlyn could just lay low.

He nodded at the brunette. "Let's go to the motel first. We can check out the Pokemart afterwards."

Upon arrival, the motel seemed safe enough. A closed off area with locked doors for each room, Kaitlyn managed to check in easily as Warren scouted the area ahead. He noted the walls seemed to be rather thick, and there weren't that many people around the area, indicating that there weren't many residents. His only issue was that each room had at least a window, but he decided to think much of it. When Kaitlyn arrived with the keys, he tested the lock. Sturdy enough. They could just put whatever available furniture in there

"You think it's a good idea to stay?" Kaitlyn asked as they moved in the backpacks inside their room.

"No, not really," he replied. She frowned a little as he kept talking. "But it seems at least somewhat safe here. We can just stay the night and leave as soon as possible tomorrow morning. If anything, we can just stay up in shifts like we usually do, just to be on the safe side."

Despite her hesitance, he could tell she trusted his judgment as she complied easily, letting him grab the keys that were on the counter where she had put them. With that said and done, they headed over to the Pokemart.

When they entered the Pokemart, the medic seemed friendly enough, just like most of the residents mingling around in the city. Kaitlyn had tried to negotiate with her in return for the aid kits, but the medic simply shook her head, telling the girl to consider the kits as a present. Despite of that though, something didn't settle well within Warren. Even though generally it was the residents' demeanors that bothered him, it was the medic's innocent-like Pokemon's behavior that caused him to stiffen.

An Oddish and a Linoone. The Oddish seemed to be impatient while the Linoone was trying to pacify it. For what reason? Warren didn't know, but the Oddish's erratic behavior was suspicious.

_When can we start? It's been forever since I've eaten an actual meal. Can time just go by already, I'm starving!_

_Patience young one. Just wait until the sun sets. You can wait a few more hours._

Somehow, staying in the city seemed less like a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character List:
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilli) and Kit (Vibrava)  
>  \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)  
>  \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and (?)   
>  \- Chase McCloud: (?) and Mothim (Mothim)


	5. Petalburg (Part 2)

The fun started when Warren woke Kaitlyn up for her shift.

Now she didn't mind standing guard in the middle of the night, as she would rather be doing something useful rather than being a burden all the time, especially seeing how exhausted Warren always looked — despite his attempts to hide it. The first thirty minutes of guarding weren't so bad, but it didn't take a turn for the worst until she heard distant yells from outside their motel room.

She tried not to think much of the ruckus at first, seeing as the screams were nowhere close to the motel room at all. However, it was when she heard shuffling right outside their door that she knew something was wrong.

It wasn't the type of shuffling that lasted for a few seconds, before fading off into the distance. No, it was the shuffling that indicated a person pacing back and forth between a single spot for a long duration of time, as if he or she was contemplating on what action to take. And when Kaitlyn heard the release of a Pokeball and a growl, she knew she didn't have much time.

Grasping at the Pokeballs at her waist, she anxiously glanced at the lone window in the room. There was an incessant scratching against the pane, and it was obvious someone was getting ready to smash through it in any second. Hands shaking, she bent down and tried to jostle a groggy Warren awake. "Warren. Warren! Get up, get up!"

The only reply she received was a quiet mumble. She heard a deranged cackle from outside the door. "Housekeeping at your service! Why don't you open this door to make all of our lives easier hmm? It'd be a shame if I had to take a crack at this window. Rather rude of you really, I'm going to have to clean up that mess if I do so."

Warren still wasn't fully awake yet. If anything he still looked half asleep, and didn't seem to comprehend what was going on. "Warren, come on. Someone's outside our-"

A crash. Shattered glass splayed across the floor. A Linoone sprang up through the broken remains of the window, landing swiftly on the ground, a few feet away from Kaitlyn. The Pokemon growled at her, sharp claws glistening slightly under the moonlight, shining through the destroyed window. A woman carefully stepped her way through the said window, brushing off imaginary dust from her pants, and once she saw Kaitlyn, she sent her a sickeningly sweet smile. "Oh? What's wrong dear? You look like you've seen a ghost."

It took Kaitlyn a few seconds to process that this was the medic she and Warren had visited earlier that day. She looked nothing like the woman she had seen earlier, her warm persona replaced by unstable one. Kaitlyn let out an unsteady breath, her mind flashing to memories of her old group before Warren. She tensed up when the medic opened her mouth to call out a command. "Linoone. Crush claw."

The Pokemon sprinted across the room with a roar, and Kaitlyn barely had any time to send out her Pokeballs to intercept. No orders needed, both Leo and Kit engaged in the battle at hand, Leo sending out a blowing Petal Dance, in an attempt to temporarily blind the Linoone while Kit rushed in with a Crunch attack. However, due to both Pokemon's inexperience with battling, Leo's erratic attack only ended up blinding Kit, as the many petals got in the way.

The Linoone, using the Vibrava's temporary confusion, pounced off the ground from his hind legs, flew above the storm of petals, and aimed his Crush Claw right at Kit. The attack hit, and the Vibrava crashed into Kaitlyn. She fell to the ground, Kit in her arms, who was groaning as his wings weakly flittered.

The medic laughed loudly. "Down already from one measly move? I almost feel bad for you, having such poor Pokemon. Though that's mainly your own fault too!" Her Linoone growled in front of the medic, ready to attack once again. He glared at Leo, who was exchanging quick glances at Kaitlyn, begging his trainer to call out an attack.

Kaitlyn gritted her teeth. The medic's mocking tone spoke volumes to her. That was all anyone ever thought of her as — a pebble that deserved to be carelessly tossed around. Like nothing.

She was done being useless.

She swiftly got up on her feet, pinpointing her sharp gaze at Leo. The Petilli got the cue. "Leo! Use Leech Seed!"

The small grass type let out a battle cry, launching himself at his foe, but this time, making sure he kept his distance in case he needed to dodge. A flurry of seeds was flung toward the Linoone, who easily dodged most of them. However, at least one of the seeds got caught on his fur, and with that, multiple vines constricted him, sapping up his energy. The Pokemon let out a yelp, and briefly tripped over his paws.

Kaitlyn saw this as her chance. "Kit, get in now! Fly in with a Dragon Breathe!"

A smug grin spread across the medic's features."Ahh, the kitten's got claws. Well then, Linoone, use Slash on the vines!"

The Vibrava in Kaitlyn's arms immediately sprang into action, zipping to the side in case of any impending moves from the struggling Linoone. The Rushing Pokemon meanwhile unsheathed his claws, slashing at the vines constricting him. Kaitlyn gritted her teeth, before sending out another command, "Don't let the Linoone get out of that! Leo, send out another Leech Seed!"

Without a moment's breath, the Bulb Pokemon proceeded to attack, but the Linoone barely managed to get out of the vines and avoid his attack. However, that didn't leave much room to dodge an incoming Dragon Breathe from Kit, resulting in a direct hit. The Pokemon temporarily faltered on his hind legs, and sparks temporarily flickered around him.

 _Status condition. It's paralyzed, that's our chance!_ Kaitlyn grinned, "He's slowed! Leo, Helping Hand, and Kit, get in there with a Dragon Claw!"

A blue aura began to surround Leo, and with that the aura transferred to Kit, who was getting ready to pull off a finishing move. A battle cry echoed in the air, as Kit charged at the already down Pokemon, a blue aura emitting a bright glow around the dimly lit room and setting it ablaze.

And just when Kaitlyn thought that was it.

A smirk was all that was needed to shift the battle against her favor.

"Double-Edge."

The medic's Linoone respectively began to glow in a faint yellow light, overtaking the blue. With astounding speed, he tackled Kit, the dragon type's Dragon Claw barely even making any contact. The Vibrava fell onto the ground, and the Linoone landed next to him, not seeming to be the slightest bit tired. It was as if the recoil damage didn't affect him at all.

Kaitlyn gasped. The finessed speed the normal-type Pokemon had wasn't supposed to be possible for a Pokemon that was paralyzed. He was supposed to be weakened, unable to be as fast as the Pokemon normally was. In her moment of confusion, she didn't notice the Linoone slam into Leo, who had no means to defend himself without any of Kaitlyn's orders. "Kit! Leo!" she screamed, rushing to their aid. However, with her guard down due to her concern for her Pokemon, the Linoone pounced on her, pinning her to the ground while baring his teeth.

"You seem baffled sweetie. You should know that simple paralyzation isn't going to do much," the medic giggled from afar, taking her time to approached the floored brunette. "You wouldn't happen to know of the ability Quick Feet, now would you? Whatever status affect just makes Linoone go even faster, it's a very nice ability if I do say so myself."

Kaitlyn struggled against the Pokemon, frantic to escape his grasp. The medic continued to approach her, and from the peripheral of her vision, Kaitlyn saw her holding a dagger. Kneeling down next to Kaitlyn, she lightly pressed the tip against her neck, slowly gliding it along her skin. Kaitlyn rose her head, trying to keep it as far from it as she could, but the Linoone on her simply added more pressure on her chest, knocking her breath away. She could feel her heart beating, almost as if it was going to burst out of her chest.

A sinister grin rested on the medic's face, almost as if she was taking sadistic pleasure in watching Kaitlyn squirm. "I could be considerate and have Linoone kill you himself, but he'd just do a messy job with it. I prefer hands on experience." The knife was pressed harder against her, and this time she felt it prick her skin, a drop of blood trailing down her neck.

"I've always liked my meals maimed by myself anyways."

The brunette began to shake, wishing the Linoone had just killed her earlier. At least the suspense wouldn't have made her so scared. This was it. This was how she was going to go after everything she'd been through. Even at her best it still didn't make a difference, no matter what she did she was still wort-

The sound of a knife slashed through the air, hitting the medic clean on her side. She cried out in pain, and kneeled down, clutching at her side where there was now a pronounced cut. The weapon clanged on the ground where it landed, past the medic. From Kaitlyn's side, she realized Warren was finally up, arm positioned out from having thrown his machete to save her.

Taking the chance while the Linoone was distracted from the sudden interruption, she kicked the Pokemon off of her, scrambling to her feet to the lone machete. She picked it up, and with surprising precision, tossed it to Warren who caught it with his hand. His heterochromic eyes narrowed, sapphire blue and emerald green piercing in the darkness. "You should know better than to forget about one of your opponents," he said, his icy voice sending chills down even Kaitlyn's spine.

The medic got up, laughter spilling from her lips. "A challenge is always how I liked it, makes it even better when they scream in pain." From her back pocket, she pulled out a surgical mask and clasped it on. She then grabbed for her other Pokeball at her waist, throwing it out. Her eyes flashed wildly and dashed at Warren, screaming out an order, "Oddish, use Poison Powder!"

A thick purple smog drifted across the room, and Kaitlyn barely had the time to suppress a cough. The medic's Linoone suddenly appeared in front of her, ready to tackle her again, only to be intercepted by Kit. Leo was then next to Kaitlyn, in the process of using a Synthesis to heal up the slightest bit. Throughout the time Kaitlyn was down, she guessed Leo and Kit had began to stir from their previous knocked out states, but now they were ready to engage in combat again.

It didn't mean that they were in an advantage at all though. The Oddish's Poison Powder was beginning to affect everyone in battle, Warren's attacks against the medic seeming almost sluggish. His sidestep against the medic's first attack looked as smooth as ever, but his attempts to disarm her were another story. With his arm, he blocked the medic's next attempt of a stab, but he wasn't able use enough force to stop her arm from aiming down at him. Luckily he managed to back up a bit, but it didn't mean he came out unscathed. A pronounced fresh cut was now visible from his shoulder to collarbone. His grip on his machete tightened as he anticipated the medic's next attack.

It was obvious that Leo and Kit were also at their wit's ends, already weakened before but now poisoned too. The medic's Linoone however seemed to be just fine, as there was no chance for him to be poisoned, seeing as he was paralyzed. Despite his paralyzation, the Linoone was just as fast as ever. Without needing the medic's orders, the normal type Pokemon sent out a quick Shadow Ball, and then ran at the two smaller Pokemon, claws glowing in preparation for a series of Fury Swipes.

Kaitlyn forced down her fear and called out her next attack. "Kit, get rid of that Shadow Ball with Dragon Breathe! And Leo, Petal Dance on Linoone!"

Both of the special attacks collided into each other, causing the building to shake briefly. Kaitlyn stumbled on her feet, trying to keep an eye out for the Linoone, who was trying to get close to Leo. Despite the intimidating claws the Pokemon was sporting, he wasn't able to make any contact with Leo, who was dodging with grace and able to keep a distance with the many petals surrounding them. However Kaitlyn knew that if one attack hit, it would quickly be over for Leo, as he was still extremely weakened.

The poison was posing too much of a problem, as the Oddish was continuously using Poison Powder. Kaitlyn's vision was starting to blur. She needed to get rid of that Pokemon right away. "Leo, keep distracting the best you can! Kit, get in close and use Crunch on Oddish!"

Leo was obviously tired, but continued to heed Kaitlyn's orders best he could. As for Kit, who was flying towards the Oddish, was prepared to get a hit in but was only greeted with an Acid to the face. The violet acid hindered the Vibrava slightly, as it was an attempt to blind him, but he shook it off, determined to knock the Oddish out. The Oddish attempted to dodge Kit's attack, but it was a direct hit. Seeing it as an opening, Kaitlyn called out to Kit for a Dragon Claw attack, and with glowing claws, the Pokemon managed to finish the Oddish off.

Despite her small victory, in her haste to take out Oddish, she didn't realize Leo being hit by Linoone's Fury Swipes. The grass type flew past her, hitting the wall with a squeal. "Leo!" she screamed, but she didn't have time to run to him before the Linoone was preparing a Crush Claw straight to Kit.

Without thinking she shouted, "Protect!" A light green forcefield surrounded the Vibrava, and the Crush Claw hit it with a loud _clang_. She didn't know how much longer Kit could withhold it, as he was panting from all the energy he had been using up. With Leo out of commission and Kit barely hanging on, the only wa-

Vex and Vera.

Warren's two other Pokemon were still in his bag, and from how the bag was mildly shaking, she knew the two Pokemon were trying their hardest to get out. Hoping Kit could pull through for a little longer, she frantically rushed to the bag, fumbling through the contents in search for the Pokeballs. There was a sound of the forcefield shattering though, and she heard Kit cry out in pain. The dragon type collapsed on the ground, the remains of the poison effect finally getting through him. With his final opponent down, the Linoone ran straight for Kaitlyn, eyes locked onto his target.

A machete then flew through the air to gash itself against the Linoone's neck. The Pokemon stopped his movements, eyes widened as it collapsed. Kaitlyn's attention shifted to Warren, who had just thrown his only weapon to save her an-

Oh no.

His only weapon.

The medic pounced on Warren and he barely had the chance to dodge her blade, as he continued to jump backwards. Before Kaitlyn knew it, Warren was huddled against the corner of the room, and the medic cackled once more, ready to slam the knife right through his chest. However, with a sweep of Warren's feet, he knocked her off her feet, and then it was a grapple on the floor. A fight for the dangerous weapon. Whoever got the better grip on it would be able to deliver the finish blow.

And then there was an overhanging shadow. And a loud crack in the room.

With widened eyes, the medic collapsed. The bat clattered against the ground. The shadow brushed her hands, and let out a loud huff. "Well, that takes care of Paige, I've been meaning to do that for a while!" The girl's Mewostic let out a satisfied mewl while her Mothim hovered over the medic's corpse. _Wait wha-?_

From the ground, Warren huffed. He got up and brushed his thighs to wipe off imaginary dust, sending the girl a blunt look and a raised eyebrow. "Chase, we could've taken care of that ourselves."

The blonde gave a loud laugh, gesticulating at Kaitlyn and Warren's disheveled states. Not to mention Kaitlyn's knocked out Pokemon. "If you call _that_ taking care of yourselves, then I don't know what to tell you buddy."

Warren opened his mouth to retort, but despite how tired she was, Kaitlyn gave him a small kick to his shin. She didn't want Warren instigating an argument over his pride of all things. With that, she decided to get straight to the point. "You've been meaning to kill… Paige? For how long?" she asked, pausing before annunciating the medic's name. She had a hard time humanizing… _that_ after what just occurred.

Chase, who was just casually digging through the medic's corpse in search of any supplies, glanced up at Kaitlyn. "Oh her? It's been a few weeks give or take." She picked out some extra surgical masks from the medic's back pocket. "Though…"

"That's probably not the answer you _want_ to hear, isn't it?" She picked out some extra surgical masks and Pecha Berries from the medic's back pocket, and threw two of them at Warren and Kaitlyn.

In the medic's other back pocket, Chase picked out two Super Potions. "How did she fit these two in ther- nevermind." Without another word, she tossed the two supplies at Kaitlyn. "You might want to heal your Pokemon with these before I go off onto a tangent. Eat a Pecha Berry or two too, both of you. You guys look like you can't stand."

Kaitlyn fumbled with the potions thrown at her. When she got a good grip on them, she ran to her Pokemon. She picked up Leo first and then raced to where Kit was, spraying them with the medicine. She stroked the side of Leo's head, and gazed at them, sighing to herself. _This is all my fault, had I just been a better trainer…_

For a while the only sounds in the room where that of Chase rummaging through the medic's spare bag and the flap of her Mothim's wings. The blonde soon found the knocked out Linoone and Oddish's Pokeballs and returned them back in.

The girl huffed, before finally speaking. "There's two facades here. During the day everyone's extremely friendly. It's quaint. It's lively. It's safe. But at night? It's like someone's flipped a switch. Neighbors turn on each other, raiding houses left and right. Sometimes people are killed off for the supplies they need."

Kaitlyn flinched to herself. Behavior like this wasn't uncommon, but the thought of having neighbors whose faces others would be familiar with turning on each other like that… to her it was more frightening than getting raided. It was like betraying your own team or family. She couldn't see herself doing that to anyone, much less her own friends.

Chase must've known Kaitlyn's behavior as she continued on, standing up on her feet. "If you think that was bad, it's only gotten worse as of late. What you saw is one prime example. Paige here? She's a scammer."

She kicked at the corpse with little to no remorse. "This bitch had the audacity to target my group while I was gone doing a task for the mayor. Blackmailed a couple of residents to get rid of us in exchange for some medication. It wasn't even because she thought we were a threat."

Warren interrupted her, raising a single eyebrow as he did so. "She wanted to kill them for food, didn't she?"

Chase nodded. "The next day she prompted to make gourmet meals out of them, serving them to residents around the town like she did _nothing_ wrong." The blonde gritted her teeth, and stomped on the medic's face. A crunch resounded in the room and Kaitlyn flinched again.

She continued on her mantra. "She just skipped around, acting all innocent-like. Not a single care in the world. And you know what the town did? They _thanked her_. And she just smiled sweetly back. For all I know some of those residents probably didn't even _know_ it was human flesh they were eating. I guess she got careless today, seeing as she doesn't have any other 'customers' to blackmail. Not a lot of people linger at this town anymore, probably because they already know what happens here…"

Kaitlyn moved to stand next to Warren, holding both of Pokemon in her arms. "Why did you stay then?" she asked, and braced herself. She was almost scared of triggering Chase, with how unstable the other girl seemed.

Instead of exploding, Chase simply winked at Kaitlyn. "Because business, remember? Besides, I'm not leaving until I get rid of that sorry excuse of a mayor once and for all."

Kaitlyn could see how Warren's brows furrowed in confusion. Chase snickered at his perplexed expression, bending down to grab the medic's knife. She clenched the hilt of the weapon with her wrist, her gaze sharpening. "I'm willing to bet my right arm that he had something to do with killing off everyone I ever knew. He wouldn't have just sent me out on an overnight task to get supplies for no reason. The town had supplies already, what was the point of that? It's like he wasn't even trying to be discreet."

The brunette girl was left speechless, her thoughts wildly circulating in her mind. Meanwhile Warren had bent down to pack up his supplies in his backpack, taking out the Pokeballs in there to release Vex and Vera. Immediately upon release, Vex ran to check on Warren while Vera had the grace to see Leo and Kit. The Pokemon's eyes were fixed into a concerned expression, but Kaitlyn gave her a nod, indicating the two would be alright, before the Pokemon went to check on Warren.

Warren gave Vex a small pat on his head to reassure him, as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. "Well good luck with that, I guess. Kaitlyn, let's go," he said, as he began to make his way to the door.

"Hm? Where do you think you're going?" Chase giggled, placing her hands on her hips and leaning her body weight on her left foot.

Warren gave her a blunt retort. "Leaving. I don't think either of us want to stay here for another second."

"And who said you were going anywhere? You're going to help me here," she demanded.

Warren remained unimpressed. Kaitlyn however, remained rooted on her spot. She looked at her Pokemon in her arms, and switched her gaze from Chase to Warren, trying to decipher the best course of action herself. Here was Chase, a girl ready to set out on revenge on the behalf of her loved ones. And Kaitlyn could understand that. Before Kaitlyn knew it, she spoke up to Warren. "C'mon, shouldn't we help?"

Warren hesitated. He then sighed loudly, brushing his fingers through his tangled hair as he did so. "... Fine. You better have a concrete plan though, or we're both out." Vex voiced his agreement by giving a cry of his own, before Vera shushed him with a flick of her tail against his legs.

"What do you take me for? A girl always has to have a plan," she smirked, before skipping out the door, with her Meowstic and Mothim in tow. Warren gave a shake of his head before following along, giving Kaitlyn a look to do the same before passing through the door. Kaitlyn groaned to herself with exasperation.

She was probably going to regret this decision later, wasn't she.

* * *

Outside was absolute chaos.

Shouts. Screams. Shrieks. From cries of desperation to growls of aggression, Warren heard it all as they ran through the dirt path in the dimly lit city. A deranged man ran towards them, seeming hellbent on killing one of them, before Warren ordered Vera to shoot out a quick Flamethrower. It was a direct hit before the man burned to crisp and collapsed. Pathetic.

From a few steps ahead, Chase scoffed at the scene. "Nice job, that's one of Will's lackeys down."

She continued on, keeping up an even pace as they ran. "He's garnered quite the few avid supporters as of late. Surprises me really, the man was never that charismatic, just eccentric. Though I suppose there are uses in serving him."

Warren huffed. "Feel free to elaborate."

She rolled her eyes."Status? Materialistic goods? Or maybe protection. Who even knows," She eyed at a Pokemon battle from afar disdainfully. Their trainers were going at each other, weapons drawn, not giving any mercy whatsoever. "Other than that, we shouldn't run into many problems until we get to the house," she added. "Everyone's too invested with themselves now anyways."

"We're almost there anyways, right?" Kaitlyn asked. Both Leo and Kit had finally woken up and were now hovering around her, warily scoping the premises.

Chase didn't answer the other girl, and instead pulled the duo behind a building nearby, their Pokemon following them. She crouched on the ground, hiding herself under the shadows and prompted for Warren and Kaitlyn to do the same. "Listen, when we get there, for sure a _lot_ of William's lackeys are gonna be there. We either gotta get in there with brute force or with another way."

She then nudged at Warren. "I want you to get around from the back. William's got a backyard entrance you can get in the house by. I don't think anyone's gonna be back there, but just be careful. Kaitlyn and I will cause a diversion in the front before forcing ourselves in. Kaitlyn, you got any moves good for that?"

Warren frowned, not liking the idea of leaving Kaitlyn by herself with a complete stranger. He almost voiced his concerns until he realized the brunette spoke up to answer Chase's question. "Well, Kit knows Uproar and Screech. Leo's got Teeter Dance."

"That'll do. Let's go."

Without a moment's beat, they were off again. He could sense both Vex and Vera becoming steadily more anxious, but he knew they could handle it. Despite of that though, he didn't blame them for being anxious. With the house steadily approaching them, he could feel his nerves beginning to get the best of him, but he shut them down with a shake of his head.

The house was steadily approaching them. A group of people were huddled in front of the building, some dead bodies splayed on the ground. Chances are, there were going to be delivered to the mayor himself. This was what Chase probably meant when she said William had supporters 'serving him'. A bitter taste rose onto his tongue.

He glanced at Kaitlyn to make sure she was alright. Her green eyes were fixed onto the group of people, hands clenched into a fist, ready to take action when she was needed to. He once again tried to push down his concern and slipped away to the back. He believed she could handle herself, and as much as he didn't trust Chase, the blonde was a capable fighter as well.

He'd leave it to them.

Warren kept his steps light on the path, as he didn't want to make a single sound to give himself away. Even if Chase said she didn't think there was a high chance of anyone at the back, he didn't want to risk it. Vex and Vera both followed his lead, as he got closer to the wooden fence and searched around for an opening. He couldn't easily just jumped over it, didn't want to cause too much of a rukus while doing so.

When he found a gap between two wooden panels, he pressed against it, checking out the pressure. It wouldn't take much effort to open up the space to squeeze through. However, before he did so, he felt Vera's palm on his shoulder. He looked at the fire-type and raised his eyebrow, but then heard the voices behind the fence.

"Who'd thought Al would be like that, giving away his own daughter to save his own skin," someone snickered. There was a higher pitched whimper after that.

Another voice. "I mean, no one really wants to get on William's bad side. You don't follow through orders, it's your life or someone else's. In this case, he chose his life over his daughters."

Warren peaked in through the small space. There were two men standing near the door, but it was the small girl on the step that had him taken aback. Her arms and legs were tied up and she was lying face down onto the pavement. Scratches and bruises were painted on her skin, and a long gash was prominent on her leg, blood gathering to the surface. Tears streaks prominent on her cheeks, and she looked pale as she was gasping for breath, until one of the men's — the shorter one's — feet dug into her wrists, and she started to cough wildly. The girl looked at most, 9 years old.

"Think she can fetch a good meal though? She's malnourished," the shorter man of the duo questioned, glancing at the child with a raised eyebrow.

"This kid? With her bony arms and legs? Doubt there's much meat on her left," the taller replied. He kneeled down next to the girl, and made eye contact with her, and suddenly a malicious grin creeped on his lips. "Though I suppose we could have a _little_ fun with her."

Warren stiffened.

A pause. "You don't mean…?"

The taller nonchalantly shrugged. "C'mon man, no one's around. It'd be a waste anyways if we didn't do anything about it. Besides, she's going to die anyways." The girl whimpered, whether it be from pain or fear. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and slammed her face into the concrete ground.

"And, the struggling just makes it better," the despicable man said, voice edging off into a whisper into the child's ear. A scream in retaliation. The girl started to thrash, as if she knew what was going to happen, but with her injuries and blood loss, she wasn't a match to him.

Warren clenched his fists. Something stirred inside of him. A low growl involuntarily slipped from his throat. His thoughts drifted wildly before an image of that small dark haired girl once again dancing into his vision. Pudgy arms spread out wide. A giggly voice filling the void.

Those circles she span. That dress floating against the wind. Her damned familiar voice.

_Warren, I can't believe-_

_Warren, I can't-_

_Warren!_

And he let go.

He kicked down the fence with one huge shove, and the weak panels came crashing down. The men immediately locked their gazes on him, but Warren continued to stalk forward, steps harsh, machete tightly grasped in his hand. Only one thought swirled in his head, words ringing and ringing and _ringing_.

_Annihilate._

With that, Vex and Vera sprung. Warren could hear the shorter man curse aloud, fumbling with his Pokeballs to throw out. Vera however, didn't give him any chance to do so, as with a whip of her stick, she fired a Psyshock. The man fell to the ground, already knocked out, but Vera's normally calm and collected eyes had morphed into something else entirely. Instead of moving on, she instead kept on going, sending Psyshock after Psychosk onto the unconscious body. Vex joined Vera, sending in a Focus Blast for extra measure.

"What the fuck!" the taller man screeched at the atrocity of both Pokemons' actions. He sent out a Pokeball, and an Ariados came out, legs twitching and ready to jump. Vex though, somehow shifted his attention from the knocked out man to the Bug-Poison type, bared his teeth out with a low snarl and tackled him. Growls filled the air as the Pokemon wrestled, Ariados's eight legs giving him a small advantage, as he was able to catch Vex into a headlock. The Ariados's poisonous fangs weren't helping much either. Despite his advantage though, Vex wasn't easily going to back down, as he was still able to keep up with the Ariados. Meanwhile, the taller man seemed petrified, unable to call out any moves.

Warren called out a command, completely unfazed. "Shadow Claw."

A single paw was out, cast in a black aura with a purple outline, aimed and ready to hit. But as soon as Warren's voice rang into the dark, the Ariados stiffened. He let go off the headlock he had previously got Vex into, and turned to face his own trainer who was still crouched next to the bound girl. "Ariados? You're looking at the wrong person here!"

The Ariados sent a Sludge Bomb right at him. Warren felt a sort of sick satisfaction hearing the man scream from the acidity of the attack. From seeing how the Ariados turned on his trainer, Vex decided to aim his Shadow Claw on the man instead. Another scream occured, and yet Warren felt no pity.

Vera was about done with her Psyshock attacks, her face seeming smug at the state of the shorter man, as she approached Warren once more. Vex also retreated back to Warren at the sight of Vera standing next to him, and both of them waited for his next instruction. He sent them a nod. His thoughts obviously reached to theirs, and both Pokemon did the same.

A twirl of a stick, and an aura of light. And so a fury of flames engulfed the backyard, lighting up the skies. The cackle of the flames charring the grass, the smoky and suffocating scent wafting through the air, the breeze feeding the growing inferno. And all of those flames hit its target. The taller man was then no more but a blackened mess.

Warren was almost in awe, and probably would've been had he not been so enraged.

Taking slow steps to the remains, he unsheathed his machete. Without any hesitation, the blade was buried into the man's chest. And the hilt was then grabbed and released and stabbed and again and again and again and he only stopped when he felt a paw on his shoulder and he turned around to check up on the little girl an—

A dark figure was knelt beside the girl, a hand pressed to her sides.

Warren saw red.

He roared. His mind screaming and screaming and screaming, a nonstop mantra in his head. His Pokemon responded, a Flamethrower and Focus Blast lashing through the air, the two powerful attacks intertwining into a massive force. However, a Pokeball was released into the air in response to Warren's attacks, and an Azumarill emerged. Without hesitation, the Pokemon used Protect, the green force field surrounding itself and its trainer, and the dark figure still looked composed.

Warren didn't care. He wanted this despicable disgusting person gone disposed demolished, but then this figure had the audacity to speak and then a recognizable voice.

"Woah, dude, settle down. Arceus were you _always_ this emotional?"

Warren blinked. Once. Then twice. His enraged state of mind finally started to clear up, and he realized it was just Aster. The younger man looked exasperated, unimpressed golden eyes glancing at Warren, obviously questioning his overreaction. When Warren finally calmed down, Vex and Vera did so as well.

Aster sighed and called for his Azumarill to stop his defensive shield, and the barrier materialized. The younger boy then crossed his arms, scratching the bridge of his nose. "Would you get a hold of yourself? Had it not been for Echo, that would've killed me. Also, I specifically told you to get in this town and get out right away, and yet you're still here? Do you have a sense of common knowledge?"

"Well, things came up," Warren grunted, averting his gaze from the judgemental stare.

"You didn't even keep yourselves discreet, I mean, look at this place. You really did a number to it huh." Aster rolled his eyes, his eyes sweeping across the backyard.

"What do you mean?" Warren asked, before finally taking a look at it himself. It was only then that he realized what damage he had done. The previous greenery, the grasses and plants were burnt to crisp, and the wooden fences were blackened. The state of the two men were almost unrecognizable, the taller man's Ariados also burnt and dying as well. However, what had caught his attention was the state of the little girl.

She wasn't breathing.

Brunette locks were messily draped on the concrete ground, her eyes still somehow opened. But they were empty. Lifeless. Dried blood was crusting on her leg as well, and once again, her scratches and bruises were as prominent as ever. No, it wasn't that that took him aback. It was the third degree burn marks littering around her vulnerable body, and it was then that he realized it was _he_ who did that in his fit of blind rage. He was so engulfed in anger and fury that his one-track mind hadn't noticed that while he engulfed that taller man into that inferno, this small young little girl was caught in the crossfire too.

By extension, her death was also his fault.

Interrupting his thoughts, Aster sighed again,"... Yea, if you're done groveling, we gotta get moving." He didn't mention the girl to Warren, as if he knew Warren didn't want to hear it.

Warren didn't know what to say. Neither did he know what to think. Despite of that though, he tried to shift his attention to something else other than that girl; he needed a distraction, and Aster was offering that opening. "... Sure. We'll head into the house. You can lead the way."

Aster snorted. "Pft, hold on, whoever said we were going back into the house? What do you even need to do in there?"

"I'm not leaving Kaitlyn in there. Besides, we have business with someone else," Warren replied.

The black-haired teenager hesitated, before giving Warren a smirk. "Ahh, I see. Digging yourself into your own grave by giving into favors, haven't you." His teasing tone only grinded on Warren's nerves. He clenched his fists.

"Blame Kaitlyn for that, not me." Warren turned away, marching towards the backdoor. He took what he said back. He wasn't going to let Aster lead the way when he clearly wasn't planning on it.

"That's cute. The fishbone's probably got your wrapped around her dainty little fingers hasn't she," Aster smirked, crossing his arms. His Azumarill, Echo, snickered in his response to his trainer's taunt.

"Think what you like. She hasn't though," Warren said, still facing away from Warren. He opened the backdoor and promptly stalked inside.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night," Aster shrugged, though Warren could only faintly hear Aster's response. The sounds of footsteps behind him indicated the younger boy was following him though. The floorboards creaked as they stepped onto the panels, and Warren returned both of his Pokemon. Aster did the same to his.

The hallway was dimmed, the only light source from outside. They continued down, looking for any signs of Chase and Kaitlyn who were probably waiting for them. Warren recognized some of the interior from his brief visit the day before, and as they made their way to the living room, he saw the two girls.

Chase got up on her feet. "There you are, what took you so long?" She clearly hadn't noticed Aster behind him, and Warren stepped aside.

Aster grinned. "Hold on, the person you've been helping is Chase? Of all the people, wonderful to see you again, still as reckless as always I see."

Chase didn't looked too impressed to see him though, the tone of her voice hardening."Your passive aggression is still as strong as ever, hasn't it?"

"Passive aggression? I prefer the term-"

"Actually don't tell me. I don't need your sass today."

Meanwhile Kaitlyn looked confused, though Warren wasn't surprised about that. Everyone in this room had already previously known of each other while Kaitlyn was left in the dark. She didn't seem to care much though, preferring to stay unnoticed. Simultaneously, both Kit and Leo were resting on a loveseat, as well as Meowstic and Mothim. How they all fit in there, he didn't know, but they seemed comfortable in each other's presence in the brief time they spent together.

Aster and Chase seemed to be otherwise though, as they squabbled. Warren narrowed his eyes at the two. "If you're done, we should get going. I don't want to waste any time."

"Ohh, you hear that? He's on a tight schedule. Thanks for wasting our time Chase."

"Wha- excuse me? That's not on me, that's on you!"

Warren coughed loudly.

"Ok, ok. Let's get going," Chase said. She beckoned Meowstic and Mothim from their love seat and they followed her. She made her way to the nearby stairs in the living room and headed up.

Warren turned to Kaitlyn to make sure she was behind him as he did the same. To his annoyance, Aster was following suit. "You don't have to come along you know."

Aster grinned. "Please, if I leave you out of my sights you two are just gonna get carried away with another quest of yours. Might as well tag along to keep you in line." He then shoved Warren aside to walk up the steps.

Kaitlyn looked befuddled, and she blinked. Warren shook his head. "Don't let that get to you. Come on." He continued up after saying that.

When he got onto the second floor, both Chase and Aster were silent, standing in front of a door. He didn't need to be told what that door was, if anything it had to be the mayor's room from Chase's conflicted expression. Her face cleared up though as she slapped her cheeks, readying herself for her confrontation. Her fingers then rested on the knobbed, and she turned it.

With that, they entered the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character List:
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilli) and Kit (Vibrava)  
>  \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)  
>  \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and Azumarill (Echo)   
>  \- Chase McCloud: Meowstic(Meowstic) and Mothim (Mothim)


	6. Petalburg (Part 3)

The mayor looked way too relaxed for his own good, Warren thought.

The room was dimly lit, with the moonlight glistening through the window panes. Mahogany shaded furniture was positioned around the room with stands containing sophisticated looking books and silverware. Large paintings hung against the cream colored walls, and centered in the middle was a single desk. Seated from behind the desk in a swivel chair, William innocently grinned, hands clasped together with a devilish smile on his face.

Had it not been for such a dire situation, Warren would've thought this scene as comical rather than intimidating. However, with the way Chase tensed beside him, it spoke otherwise.

The middle-aged man let out a nonchalant laugh, propping his feet up and resting his arm on the elbow rest of his chair. "Kaitlyn, Warren! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see the two of you so soon. What can I do for you?"

Next to Warren, Kaitlyn tensed as well, avoiding the mayor's stare, her discomfort obvious. Warren wasn't the only one noticing this either, as Chase stepped forward, gritting her teeth. "Drop the act. You know why we're here."

"Why I'm afraid I don't, Chase. I hadn't even the slightest idea you three were acquainted," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. His eyes lazily traveled to study each individual in the room, and his obnoxious grin only widened.

"Oh, I'm afraid you do. And I know exactly what's going in that tiny little brain of yours," Chase growled. She took a slow, deliberate step at him. "Just what did you do with them? I know you did something, don't deny it."

"Some elaboration would be nice, dear," William smiled. He propped his feet back down onto the ground to lean forward, attempting to spur Chase on. His feet continuously and harshly tapped on the rough carpet, the only sound resounding in the silence.

She raised a single eyebrow from his words, and then scoffed. "You have some nerve, calling me that. What did you do?"

"I wouldn't say I have any nerve Chase."

"Stop trying to weasel your way out of my question."

"Like I said before, some elaboration would be nice."

Chase was visibly frustrated at William's coyness. "My old group. Alexis. Darrin. Glenn. Everyone. It's not everyday when you come back to your so-called safe home, only to find nothing but blood stains."

William shrugged, indifferent and unfazed. "We do what we do to survive, it shouldn't be that hard to understand. They were simply unworthy. You on the other hand, had so much potential."

Chase paused at his bluntness, a disbelieving expression etched on her features. Her jaw gaped for a moment, before she closed it, giving a quick shake of her head. Her blue eyes hardened once more, becoming more and more enraged. "Arceus, some of them were kids Will! We're all still kids! Have you no shred of human decency?"

Her incredulity only made William chuckle. He got up from his swivel chair, onto his two feet. Pacing around the room, he approached one of his stands and plucked a single hardcover book from the shelf, opening it up to search through the contents. With practiced ease, he flipped through the faded pages, the sheets sliding against his fingers, and he finally spoke. "You're quite the naive girl, aren't you?"

He interrupted her before the girl could protest. "Nature is harsh. It's unrelenting and unforgiving. And Pokemon seem to understand this concept perfectly fine. They eat each other all the time, and their methods of hunting is much more inhumane than people would expect. Pokemon such as Heatmor prey on Durant by burning through their steel bodies to eat their insides. They practically burn them alive. Or what about Metagross? They pin their own victims to the ground while eating them. They have their four legs for a reason, and they don't even consider killing their prey first before eating them. Gorebyss have similar tactics as well, but instead of pinning their prey down, they drain them from bodily fluids with their thin mouths."

"If you take all of this into consideration, of course humans would eat Pokemon too. Look at the historical accounts on here. Sharpedo had an overfishing epidemic due to how people craved their dorsal fins, and almost went extinct. And just a century or two ago, Slowpoke tails were sold in the black market. It was a pretty huge topic in Jhoto when the organization behind this got exposed, but it doesn't change the facts that these tails were worth millions. If so why not humans eat humans, it's such a waste of meat."

With that, he shut the book with a firm slam and placed it back on the stand. The middle-aged man then reached into his front pockets, an action that made Warren stiffen in preparation for a possible attack. However, William didn't do anything potentially threatening, as he only pulled out two Pokeballs still in their shrunken forms.

His hands grasped the Pokeballs, and there was a shit-eating grin on his face. "With that being said, how about this? A two-on-two battle, you against me, Chase. No interferences. I know you're probably infuriated right now, but how about we be good sports and have a fair fight. Integrity _is_ a very important aspect in battling, wouldn't you agree?"

"Fine. Bring me your worst," the girl in question replied, with no hesitation.

Warren blinked in disbelief. Although he didn't trust Chase, he was previously under the impression that she was the type of person that didn't let emotions cloud her judgment. It was clear that Aster also thought similarly as he grasped her arm, attempting to grab her attention. "Alright, hold up here. Clearly, you're not thinking straight. You don't actually believe he'll abide to his rules, do you?"

His words didn't reach her though, as she threw his hand off her arm, still keeping her eyes pinned on William as she did so. William chuckled at her ferocity. "Do be careful though, I wouldn't want you to ruin all of this wonderfully crafted furniture here," he mocked, enlarging the two Pokeballs in his hand. He sent them out and two bright lights lit up the room. A Salazzle and Forretress emerged from the Pokeballs, their twin roars pounding into Warren's ears as they took their stances in front of William.

The sight of the two Pokemon however, incited no reaction from Chase. "Oh trust me, furniture will be the last thing you'll be caring about after I acquaint you with my knife," she retorted, before sending out Meowstic and Mothim.

Following that was a short silence, a tense standoff between the two pairs of Pokemon. The only sounds present were the flap of Mothim's wings and everyone's hushed breathes. Everything stood still. Time slowed. And then finally, someone called out a move.

Suddenly, the Salazzle dug her heels onto the floor and sprinted towards Meowstic and Mothim, using her swift speed to get into close range. Despite the threat in front of them though, both of Chase's Pokemon were still calm and relaxed, waiting their trainer's first order. Chase herself was also unperturbed, her eyes remaining focused and unmoving.

"Salazzle, use Dragon Pulse!"

"Meowstic, Light Screen!"

A swirling ball of flames alit in a bright purple light was launched from Salazzle. The powerful attack left Chase's Pokemon relatively unharmed though, as the Dragon Pulse only clashed against Meowstic's Light Screen. Despite of this, it was obvious how much pressure it was putting on Meowstic as the forcefield clashed against the Dragon Pulse, further emphasizing how forceful the violet inferno was.

William definitely saw that strain as he smirked, calling out another attack. "I'd stop being so predictable if I were you. Forretress, Rock Slide!"

Salazzle finished her attack and used her lithe body to jump back efficiently, leaving enough room and space for Forretress to engage with his own attack. Forretress spun his body around and his body started to glow in a white light. A series of jagged rocks then emerged from it, and was flung to Meowstic and Mothim.

Automatically, Meowstic canceled out his Light Screen, and both Pokemon dodged the attack. However, Forretress's Rock Slide still proved to be deadly, as he continuously created more barrages of rocks to launch against the two Pokemon. Warren knew Chase needed to do something fast before Meowstic and Mothim would tire out, and the girl's body language seemed to express his same thoughts.

Responding to William's previous taunt, she shouted back at him. "I wouldn't assume that so quickly William. Mothim, Protect! And Meowstic, use Psyshock!"

Upon command, Mothim used Protect against the last few remaining rocks, the barrier immediately surrounding him and Meowstic just in time. The rocks ricocheted off of it, disintegrating after the rough collision. The moment after the rocks disappeared, Meowstic flung himself into the air, hurling a purple beam of psychic energy at his foes.

"Salazzle intercept that with Flamethrower," William commanded. And with that the two attacks clashed against each other, an explosion of purple and red intertwining, shaking the building to its roots. Smoke scattered across the room, causing Warren to block his eyes and cough. He could hear the muffled coughs from Aster and Kaitlyn's direction as well, but when the smoke cleared up he noticed red and purple spikes littered around the room. However, as quick as he had noticed the spikes, they promptly sunk to the ground, disappearing from his view, further raising his suspicions.

Despite the severe explosion though, the four Pokemon were still standing. Yet another standoff occurred and then duel commands from both respective trainers rang out. Another Psyshock dispersed, and Mothim flew in with powerful flaps, firing out a Hidden Power attack. In return Salazzle sent out a Venoshock aimed at Meowstic and Forretress levitated into the air, going for an attempt to slam into Mothim with a Double-Edge.

The battle continued to rage on, neither side really gaining an upper hand on the other. Both trainers remained smart and quick-witted, easily able to prepare themselves and plan their next courses of action. Their Pokemon only followed their leads, never slacking in their attempts to overpower their opponents. Warren didn't see the battle coming together into an abrupt end anytime soon, especially with the Pokemon seeming to still be full of resolve.

Until something caught his eye from the peripheral of his vision. Something was stalking in the shadows, hidden from his view, remaining relatively unseen. For a brief moment, he considered it to be his imagination, simply his paranoia overtaking his sensibility. Yet, the gleam of its narrowed eyes spoke otherwise. And just as quickly as Warren noticed the figure, it pounced.

However, it didn't pounce onto any of Chase's Pokemon. It's sharpened blades were aimed straight at Kaitlyn.

Warren's hand tore straight to his back pocket, digging for his Pokeballs, but he knew he wouldn't be on time. Kaitlyn immediately spun around at the sound of the figure's movements, her body wide open and vulnerable to its glistening blades. He began to fear the worst, his body stiffening at the sight before him.

The sound of metals colliding then rang, and Aster was suddenly in front of Kaitlyn, his body shielding hers. The figure's blade pressed against the steel rod in his grip, and although it was a bit rustic, it was doings its job well. Aster gritted his teeth, his fists tightening around the rod as he roughly pushed the figure off of him. The figure tried to reach towards Aster, but a rough kick was placed on its side until it backed off.

It was then when Warren got a clear view of the figure. A round red and black head, almost similar to that of a war helmet and sharp triangular eyes. White, metallic hands that resembled gloves with retractable blades. Two other blades encircled around a torso, and feet resembling cloven hooves.

It was a Bisharp, and judging from William's frustrated glare, it was William's Bisharp.

Warren clenched his fist around his Pokeballs. Did that man _really_ think they'd be too distracted to not notice such an obvious ambush? The thought made his blood boil, especially with the Bisharp's lax body language even after his attack. However, in the back of his mind, Warren knew he was only so frustrated because he _was_ off guard from the sneak attack, despite him trying to convince himself otherwise. At the very same time though, this ploy proved something else; William knew nothing about integrity.

From beside him, Aster still stood in front of Kaitlyn, his eyes focused on the Bisharp. "You're going to have to try better than that if you're going to use underhanded tactics!" he shouted at William, his voice loud and harsh.

William didn't reply, instead calling out another order for his Salazzle to deflect Mothim's Confusion attack. He then exchanged a quick glance with his Bisharp, and nodded. The Bisharp nodded in return, and after tightening up his stance, he sprinted towards Aster.

Looks like they were up against three Pokemon instead of just two.

Aster quickly called out Echo, throwing his Pokeball into the air. The Azumarill sprung out and immediately pulled back a glowing fist to charge up a Power-up Punch. It was a clean hit, the super effective attack delivered straight into Bisharp's side, causing him to fall back and pant. The move obviously took a toll on the Pokemon's body, as he placed one metallic hand on the floor to carry his weight, but a prominent grin still rested on his features, only widening when Echo landed onto the floor himself.

Tendrils of purple waves suddenly materialized from the ground, wrapping its way around Echo's legs. With a single sharp tug, the Pokemon was pulled down onto the floor, and a myriad of explosions set off beneath his body. The water type Pokemon let out a yelp and was still on his knees when the purple waves disappeared, but violent sparks still remained on his body. Warren soon realized that sometime during the battle with the smoke, William had prepared a Spikes and Toxic Spikes set up on the battlefield.

From afar, Salazzle was in the process of using Nasty Plot, severely upping her special attack stat. Sensing this, Meowstic let out a Disarming Voice, his loud shrieking voice carrying its way towards the Pokemon. However the Forretress blocked off the attack, spinning his body to deflect the move to protect the Salazzle. Warren knew the Salazzle would be a much bigger problem than she was before, especially after she managed to pull off a successful Nasty Plot.

Aster certainly thought similarly, as he called out his first command. "Echo, use Aqua Jet on Salazzle!"

Despite the poison seeping its way through Echo's body, the water type still found enough strength to charge up the move. Engulfing himself in a burst of water, Echo shot out towards Salazzle, intent on knocking her out with the super effective attack. However, Salazzle's speed was still very problematic, as she dodged the incoming attack with swift ease. Instead, Bisharp went in with a Night Slash from the side, his blades glowing with a bright crimson color as he slashed at Echo. Echo barely dodged the blades, the attack only grazing his side lightly.

As Warren was about to release his own Pokemon, he heard Kaitlyn shuffle behind him. Her hand was grasping a single Pokeball, enlarging it with the press of a single button. She must've returned both her Pokemon again before they approached William's office. Warren frowned, and shook his head at her. "You shouldn't send out Leo and Kit for this battle."

The girl looked appalled, obviously questioning his reasoning. "What do you even mean by that?"

"They're already exhausted from their fight against the medic and from the distraction they created outside. The spikes set up is only going to make it worse when you release them. Best course of action is to keep them uninvolved. They might end up getting in the way," he replied.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he only fixed her with a stern stare. "Don't worry, we can handle this," he said, trying to make his voice sound as reassuring as possible.

Kaitlyn only returned his stare, but sighed lightly. She shrank the Pokeball in her hand, listening to Warren's words, but still kept a hold of it. Her frustration spoke volumes, and he almost wanted to take back what he said as he didn't want to hold Kaitlyn back. However, he wanted her to be aware of her limits, and a battle like this would be way out of her experience zone.

Taking out his own Pokeballs, he sent Vex and Vera into the battlefield. Immediately, the same purple waves sprouted from the floor, quickly trapping the two in their grips. Explosions followed that up, causing a good amount of damage to the Pokemon, though Vera was more affected by the explosions than Vex due to the type disadvantage.

Warren knew that even though this fight was technically four against three, William had the upper hand due to status effects. Looking at Meowstic and Mothim, they had begun to slow down, and every move they did would only get intercepted by Forretress. Whenever either Bisharp or Salazzle would be in harm's way, Forretress would shield them with a Protect.

If they wanted the smallest chance of victory, they needed to take out that defensive Forretress. Potentially, if Forretress was out of the way, then the spikes combination would be canceled out, and Bisharp and Salazzle would be more vulnerable.

Both Vex and Vera seemed to sense Warren's plan as they focused their attentions on Forretress. Warren smiled at their compliance, and called out his first command. Without any words needed, Vex dug his feet to the floor, and widened his stance, a ball of light blue energy forming in his paws. The Focus Blast was launched at Forretress, followed by a fiery inferno that wrapped around it from Vera's Flamethrower. In order to defend himself from the devastating attack, Forretress was forced to set up his Protect around him again.

It was at this moment where Aster took advantage of the Forretress's distraction. With a single order, Echo went in with with yet another Aqua Jet attack against Salazzle. Yet, Forretress still managed to switch over to Salazzle to protect it again, the bright green barrier still shining brightly. Somehow, Forretress's success rate with the attack seemed to be absurdly high, despite his constant abuse of the non-damaging move.

As Warren stood there, contemplating of a way to eliminate the Forretress, he heard a sharp yelp from Chase. As he turned to see what was going on, he saw Bisharp sprinting toward her, his claws glowing with a silver aura for a Metal Claw. Upon notice that his trainer was in trouble, Mothim quickly attempted to block Bisharp off, but with how his wings didn't seem to beat as strongly as they always did, it was obvious of how exhausted Mothim was. The Bug type used Confusion in an attempt to throw Bisharp off, but it was too weak. Bisharp slammed into Mothim, slashing specifically at his wings to further exhaust him. Mothim collapsed onto the floor, his wings no longer usable for the battle with how damaged they were, and though he made an attempt to fly up again, it proved to be futile as he was knocked out.

Bisharp, on the other hand, only gained momentum from his attack against Mothim as he rolled onto the ground, picking himself back up to rush at Chase. His claws once again glowed, and he slashed at her, trying to cut deep into her skin. Fortunately, her reflexes were quick enough, as she sidestepped, but she didn't escape unscathed. Her upper arm got caught by his claws, a deep gash cutting straight through it as blood gushed into the surface. The girl winced, and Meowstic, who quickly noticed that his trainer was in trouble, raced over to her as she ordered him to use Psyshock against Bisharp.

Even then, Forretress still took his attention away from Warren and prepared to rush towards Bisharp, ready to deflect Meowstic's Psyshock. A rush of incredulity made its way through Warren's body, and he was almost insulted of Forretress's apparent disregard of his own seperate battle. He wasn't going to let Forretress get away from him so easily. "Vera, block him off! Use Flamethrower!" he shouted.

Vera quickly leapt into action, and though she wasn't able to tackle Forretress in time, she blew out a spew of flames. The fire separated Forretress from Bisharp, preventing him from defending Bisharp against Meowstic. He attempted to float above the flames, but was only cut off from yet another Flamethrower from Vex, further enhancing the flames. Upon notice that there was no way to escape the temporary blockade both Vex and Vera created, Forretress turned to face them, finally preparing to fight.

Warren could only hope Chase could handle herself out there by herself, but she seemed to be capable enough, even with her large wound. With Aster distracting Salazzle, Warren knew this was the prime time to knock out Forretress.

And with the poison seeping in through his Pokemon's bodies, he knew he had to do it fast.

"Vex, get up close with Shadow Claw! Vera, Calm Mind!" he commanded. With a single paw armed with large dark claws, Vex sprung up at Forretress, buying time for Vera to significantly charge up her stats. With Vex's quick speed and aggressiveness, he was able to directly hit Forretress, aiming for the ceiling. Even with the severity and force of Vex's attack though, Forretress managed to shake off the hit before he collided against the ceiling and retaliate with a Double Edge. His body glowed in a burst of golden hues, and he roughly tackled Vex, slamming him onto the floor.

Once again, poisonous waves sprouted from the floor, curling around Vex's legs. With a firm enough grip, the waves yanked him down, temporarily trapping Vex. The Toxic Spikes was definitely problematic, especially with how unpredictable its random appearances were.

With Vex being unable to move, the Forretress rushed at Vera, his body outlined in a yellow aura as he prepared to slam into the Braixen. Vera, who was still in the middle of charging up her Calm Mind, was forced to cancel out her non-damaging move. Warren tensed up, and called out to Vera. "Dodge it and use Flamethrower!"

She quickly sidestepped away from the Double Edge, and whipped out her stick from her tail. Twirling it in her paw, a burst of flames gathered at the stick's end and was sent towards Forretress. Forretress, who was still recovering from his Double Edge, whirled around and tried to dodge the roaring flames, but still got partially hit. It wasn't until Warren got a good glance at Forretress that he saw his body outlined in a white light.

Warren looked up, and it wasn't until then when he realized the amount of rocks floating above Vera's head. Forretress must've activated his Rock Slide attack a brief time ago when Warren wasn't paying attention, and it would prove to be a grave mistake. He desperately shouted at Vera. "Vera, get out of the way!"

But then everything literally went crashing down.

Similar to a meteor shower, a countless amount of boulders smashed into the ground, gravity only strengthening their impact. Vera didn't stand a chance, attempting to use a Psyshock to explode the rocks above her. However the force was too great, and she was quickly buried under the rubble, the super effective attack proving to be deadly against her health. From afar, Warren could tell she was knocked out in one fell swoop, the poison taking the last bits of her energy away.

Warren longed to rush to her aid, but knew he couldn't get distracted. He vowed to check up on her as soon as he had the chance to, and searched around for Vex. He found Vex at the same place he was before, and though the dark-type Pokemon was panting heavily from the poison, he was still standing, ready to continue the battle after Vera's knock out.

He fixed his gaze onto Forretress once again, but noticed he wasn't paying attention. If anything, Forretress was now more focused on Salazzle's fight against Echo, and it was then when Warren noticed that Echo had the upper hand. Echo was in the process of using Aqua Jet, and although Salazzle was a quick Pokemon, she was forced to be careful not to closely engage with physical attacks against Echo. Aster was making sure Echo was confusing Salazzle, only getting closer when he thought there was an opportune time.

It was obvious Forretress was going to come in as a defensive structure again to support Salazzle, and Warren wasn't going to have that.

As quickly as Forretress was about to shield Salazzle from Echo's Aqua Jet, Warren called out to Vex. "Stop him! Use Focus Blast!" he yelled, and Vex sprinted into action. With a white glowing paw, Vex immediately delivered a harsh ball of energy into Forretress's body. Forretress faltered, but turned around, and somehow managed to charge a Double-Edge against Vex. The physical move rammed into Vex, but the recoil damage took a toll onto Forretress, as his body trembled. Warren could tell Vex was on his wit's ends though, grasping onto the last bits of energy he had left.

"One last time with Focus Blast! Let's end this!" Warren demanded, and as if Vex could read Warren's thoughts, he swiftly striked Forretress with yet another Focus Blast at the same time as Warren's command. Forretress slammed onto the ground, causing the building to shake briefly once again, and was knocked out as well. Vex landed next to Forretress, sporting a tired, yet smug smile at the last attack.

From afar, Aster had a similar grin, even while he was in the midst of his battle against Salazzle. "Finally, that Forretress is gone. Celes, use Heal Pulse on Echo!"

He flung a Pokeball into the air, and a Gardevoir appeared. The psychic type placed her hands together to create a glowing pink ball and sent it Echo's way. The soft glow surrounded Echo, and he was slightly rejuvenated, his large ears perked up again in preparation for Salazzle's next move.

Warren raised an eyebrow at Aster. "Why didn't you send out your Gardevoir before?" he questioned. If Aster had sent out Gardevoir earlier, the battle would've been infinitely easier with her healing powers.

Aster kept his eyes on Echo and called for him to use Aqua Tail. He continued to watch Salazzle's movements, side eyeing Warren as he answered his question. "Well if you hadn't noticed, Heal Pulse takes a lot of energy to use. Didn't want her out here when Spikes and Toxic Spikes was still in effect."

With a quick glance at Celestine, Warren realized he was right. To a far away viewer, she would've seemed unfazed. Judging by her slightly hunched over form and trembling hands though, he realized she _was_ slightly tired.

Salazzle, who was still dueling with Echo, was in the process of using Venoshock in short bursts, trying to keep Echo away with his water type moves. Warren had to acknowledge Echo's tenacity though, as the Azumarill never held back any of his moves, despite him being exhausted. Celestine's Heal Pulse definitely helped matters as well, and he was quicker than ever. However, Salazzle suddenly backed away from Echo and when she had enough distance, she fired a Dragon Pulse straight at Vex.

"Vex, dodge!" Warren screamed. He couldn't afford to have Vex knocked out, especially with how worn out he was. He could faintly hear Aster command Celestine to use Heal Pulse on Vex as well, but she wasn't fast enough. Vex attempted to dodge, but his knees buckled, and it was that one slip up that prevented him from avoiding Salazzle's attack. The Dragon Pulse crashed into Vex, and the impact proved to be devastating as he fell to the ground. Warren gritted his teeth when he realized both of his Pokemon were out.

The battle continued, and with Warren's Pokemon out of commission, the only thing he could do was watch. Celestine, who had used attempted to use a Heal Pulse on Vex just a few seconds ago, looked even more worse off, but she remained focused on healing Echo when Aster commanded it. Salazzle and Echo went head to head, but even though Echo tried to overwhelm her with his attacks, Salazzle was still swift and steady on her feet. It was clear she was only trying to buy time, waiting for the poison to overwhelm Echo, and for Celestine to run out of Heal Pulses that were quickly exhausting her.

Eventually though, Echo was able to get close enough to deliver a Power-up Punch on Salazzle, and once she landed against the side of a wall. Aster's eyes widened, and his mouth quirked into a smirk as he shouted out loud. "Use Protect!"

The Azumarill quickly closed in, using his tail to slam Salazzle back against the wall when she attempted to get up. He then used Protect, quickly surrounding both of them inside the green barrier, closing up any chance of an escape. With such close proximity, Warren heard Aster call out a finishing move.

Echo's body was soon engulfed into a stream of water, and with a jump off his hind legs, he propelled himself towards Salazzle. Salazzle, with no chance of dodging such an enclosed space, used Dragon Pulse in an attempt to deter Echo from the Aqua Jet, but the water type Pokemon continued to burst through it. A blur of turquoise and blue emitted inside the green force field surrounding it, and then it shattered. Salazzle was flung outside of the barrier from the Aqua Jet's direct impact, and she promptly fainted. Echo was found at the area with the broken barrier, still standing. But within seconds, he collapsed from the Dragon Pulse he was forced to endure in a sacrifice to knock out Salazzle.

With Salazzle out, Warren rushed to Vex and Vera for a quick check up. They looked fine, but were obviously out cold, and he reluctantly returned them back into their Pokeballs. Upon realization that one of William's Pokemon was still standing, he turned to search for on Chase.

It wasn't looking too good for her.

Bisharp still seemed to be at ease, only a little weary from trying to catch up to Meowstic. Meowstic, on the other hand, looked battered and bruised, the smaller Pokemon obviously having taken too many hits from the Bisharp. The Psychic type was still going strong though, even from the type disadvantage he had, but the fight was taking a toll on his body. Chase didn't seem to be in good shape either, as blood trailed down from her upper arm from Bisharp's attack earlier. She was clutching it, keeping up with the two Pokemon, but it was obvious her arm was aching from her cautious attempts not to jostle it too much.

Aster returned Echo into his Pokeball, and looked for Celestine. Celestine was right behind them, but her constant Heal Pulses had sapped almost all the energy out of her. Warren had a feeling Aster was going to send Celestine in, but even then, he wasn't sure if she was going to be able to do much. Psychic type moves didn't do too well against Steel types, and her Fairy subtype would put her in a significant disadvantage against Bisharp.

Sensing no other option, Warren saw Aster sharing a glance with Celestine. As Aster was about to send Celestine to support Meowstic however, Kaitlyn came up from behind them and grasped Aster's shoulder. "Hold up," she said before she paused. Taking a deep breathe, she continued on. "Do you think your Gardevoir can handle another Heal Pulse?" Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she studied Bisharp and Meowstic who were still engaged in an intense battle.

Aster looked unimpressed with her interference, but answer her anyways. "She can handle one more, two if we're pushing it. I'm not going to put her into that type of extremity though," he replied. Meanwhile, Chase was jumping back as Bisharp aimed for her again, working to slash at her other arm. Fortunately, Meowstic noticed on time, and created a barrier around his trainer.

Warren winced at the close call, but Kaitlyn still had her eyes locked onto the fight. She then fixed her gaze back at Aster. "Use Heal Pulse on Kit. Celestine isn't in any shape or form to fight against Bisharp, and Kit has Earth Power. It's our only chance."

It was obvious that Aster wasn't convinced though, as he crossed his arms. "Your Vibrava can hardly make a dent into that Bisharp's armor, even if he were at full power. If anything, that attempt will slow us down." In any other case, Warren would've reprimanded Aster slightly at his bluntness, but in a way, he did agree with his statement.

Instead of being discouraged though, she only shook her head. "Meowstic has been using Psychic for the most part, and I can guarantee you Bisharp's special defense has been dropped for a countless amount of times." She took a deep breathe, her fists clenched as she continued on. "I've been watching their battle for the most part while you were against Salazzle and Forretress. Just trust me on this."

"Those are some pretty bold words you're speaking. Trust is earned, not deserved. I don't have an incentive to trust you," Aster stated, an apathetic expression etched on his features.

Kaitlyn hesitated before speaking again. "Do you have any other choice?" she replied, speaking in a slow, deliberate tone.

The boy in question was silent, and Warren could practically hear the gears grinding in Aster's brain, trying to figure out any other way besides Kaitlyn's reckless plan. Even if Kit was more than capable enough to perform a stealth attack, one hit and it would be over for the Vibrava. Plus, there would be no other alternative to fight against Bisharp.

A small amount of time passed, before Aster sighed. "Fine," he said.

Kaitlyn sent Kit out of his Pokeball, and Aster sent Celestine to use Heal Pulse on him. The Psychic type looked unsure, but heeded his orders, crouching down next to the Dragon-type as she formed a small ball of light. Kit shook his wings as he took in the last bits of Celestine's energy, and hovered in the air next to Kaitlyn.

Aster returned Celestine into her Pokeball. "This better be worth it," he muttered, but he received to response from Kaitlyn. The brunette was already focused on Chase's fight, where Chase was hastily dodging another one of Bisharp's attacks. Meowstic was valiantly trying to shield her as much as he could, but his small size and type disadvantage didn't stand much ground against Bisharp. William wasn't even paying much attention to anything other than the battle at hand, and it was clear that Warren wasn't the only one who noticed it.

Kaitlyn whispered something to Kit, and the Vibrava nodded in return. The Pokemon silently flew behind William, trying to prevent him or Bisharp from seeing him. Chase, on the other hand, saw what was going on, and averted her eyes from Kit. Instead, she started to taunt William. "What's the matter? Still having a hard time getting me?"

It wasn't a threatening taunt, seeing as Chase was more injured than Williams was, but it did its job well enough. William's stance slouched, and he let out a noisy guffaw. "If you look between you and me though, it doesn't take much to see who's more injured."

Chase snapped her fingers, and Meowstic quickly created a Light Screen around them. Bisharp jumped back at the sudden barrier, deeming that it was better to stay back rather than to rush in without direct orders. Chase wiped some sweat that was forming on her forehead, and sent William a curved grin. "Oh I'm well aware of that," she replied. "But that's Bisharp's doing, not yours. You haven't even laid a single scratch on me."

William scowled. "That doesn't even matter. Of course my Pokemon would b-"

Her grin only widened. "Poor little Will, hiding behind his own Pokemon. Though maybe I shouldn't say that since you're a grown ass adult."

William was noticeably offended as he growled,"Why you little shit. Bisharp, blast that barrier with Night Slash!" With that, Bisharp's claws were aglow and he took off. His attention was only focused on Meowstic's Light Screen, and the Psychic-type only worked to strengthen it, bracing himself for the attack.

It was a prime opportunity.

"Now!"

Upon Kaitlyn's shrill shriek, Kit dove past William, aiming for Bisharp's back. Cracks began to form under the floor, and pillars of stone shot up into the air. The Vibrava slammed Bisharp into the floor, using as much strength as he could muster to keep him down. More pillars surrounded the Bisharp, trapping him inside a circle of rocks. It was then that Kit's eyes glowed a bright yellow, and when he quickly flew away, the rocks collapsed into Bisharp, permanently trapping him inside the rubble.

Not a sound stirred, and Bisharp was knocked out.

Somehow, it was a success.

Meowstic dematerialized his barrier when Bisharp was gone, and Chase clutched a nearby wall, her head dropped to the ground. Warren took a step toward her, just to check up on her fatigued form, but she instead brought her head back up, a smirk rapidly playing across her features. William stood stock still, trembling slightly as if he was unable to believe how he had lost.

Chase grasped her knife from her belt as she steadily approached William. "Oh what do you know? Your Pokemon are all out. How disappointing."

William took a step back, the small of his back hitting his desk. The desk shifted from his weight, a dull squeak resounding across the room. He put his hands up in front of him, as he babbled. "N-now Chase. Dear, we can talk about this. No need to resort to violence."

The blonde didn't stop moving, and her grip on the knife handle only tightened. "Where's your bravado now? How about we embrace some _integrity_ and have a fair one on one ourselves?" She twirled the knife in her hand, and unsheathed the blade.

"W-we can talk this out! We can talk this out! Just stop, please! Someone help! He-"

Chase jumped at him and the mayor flinched. A single kick was all that was needed to knock him onto the floor, and she pressed a foot against his chest. William was already gasping for breath, frantically trying to shove Chase's foot off of him, but his attempts didn't do much. Instead, she only added pressure, and bent down at him, before slicing at his throat, causing a deep gash. He collapsed, his eyes lulled out to the back of his head, and his head pounded against the floor.

No one spoke for a bit until Aster moved. He searched through William's pockets to take out his Pokeballs, and returned them. "Well that fight just now was laughably easy compared to the Pokemon," he laughed lightly, trying to ease into the tension, though it didn't do much.

Chase scoffed, cleaning her knife with the bottom of her shirt. "I don't even want to imagine how many people cried for help before they died like he did just now. And to think it was all _his_ doing." She kneeled down next to Meowstic to give him a quick pat on the head, checking up on his injuries.

Warren shifted on his feet, and his head started to pound. He thought about what Aster had previously said. Compared to the Pokemon who knew extensive combat skills, William knew next to nothing. He didn't even have any means to defend himself, and was woefully unprepared for any physical combat. It was as if William had been confident, and expected him to win against not only to one, but four opponents.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Chase gasp. Once again she was clutching at her arm, her hand splattered with blood. "You guys have any pieces of cloth? This is gonna be a problem," she winced.

Aster shook his head. "In other circumstances, I'd get Echo to clean out that wound, but you'll just have to wait on that." He looked at both Kaitlyn and Warren with a raised eyebrow, silently asking them if they had anything on them that could be used as a makeshift tourniquet.

Kaitlyn started to dig through her backpack, shuffling through its contents. "I don't have anything, sorry," she apologized. "But there'll probably be some herbs out there somewhere. I don't know a lot about herbal remedies, but I have the basics down."

Upon hearing Kaitlyn's words, Warren took off the cloak around his neck. He tore off a strip off of the tattered cloak from the bottom and handed it to Chase. "Here, just make use of this. It's thin but it'll have to do. We're gonna need to get it healed later or else it could get infected."

"Thanks," she mumbled, as she awkwardly tried to wrap it around her arm. Meowstic ended up having to help her, and she gave him a grateful smile.

It didn't take long before the makeshift tourniquet was tightly on her arm. Chase got up onto her feet, and though she stumbled slightly, she quickly righted herself. "We should look around the house. William probably had a bunch of foods in here. Not sure about bandages though."

Without another word, she stumbled off, presumably to go downstairs to find supplies, and that was the cue for the rest to split off. Searching through the house didn't take too long, as one person was unofficially assigned to a specific area. They eventually met back up in the living room area, where they assembled what they found. There wasn't much, as William had too many miscellaneous and useless belongings, but Chase had found a stash of food in one of his kitchen cabinets. Other supplies were found as well, and each person took what could've been of good use to them.

Once they had everything assembled, they made their way to the front door. Aster was in the lead, and his hand was rested on the knob. "I have a small site set up ahead while I was waiting for you two," he mentioned, lightly glaring at Kaitlyn and Warren. "We can head over there. I doubt anyone's seen it."

Neither of the two were able to protest, so Aster opened the door. It was still as chaotic as ever outside, but it didn't seem like anyone was actively searching for them. He led them to the back of some buildings, and they all stealthily made their way to the outskirts of the city. The site was cleverly hidden behind thick leafage, and a thick blanket was already tossed onto the grassy moss. They all released their Pokemon to stretch out after their tiring battle, and each quickly settled down.

Aster stepped across a strewn out log to place his sling bag on his blanket. "We can stay here until you two go wherever you need to go. I don't care where you're traveling as long as you split up some supplies with me," he said. He then crossed his arms, and sent Chase a pinched expression. "I don't know what she's doing here herself though."

"I'm not stupid. It'd be a dumb move if I just left here all by myself. In case you haven't forgotten, but have you seen my arm?" Chase retorted as she rolled her eyes.

"Yea, and?"

"Well, it's not like your opinion matters anyways," she shrugged. She leaned against a nearby tree, careful not to graze her injured arm against the bark, but didn't lose her smugness as she continued to speak. "If anything you seem like you're tagging along rather than leading this "group" you got going on here."

Aster cracked his knuckles in annoyance, his voice rising into a retort. "Tagging along? I never wanted to tag al-"

His indignation didn't deter Chase though, as she ignore his comment and interrupted him as she turned to face Kaitlyn. "Hey Kaitlyn. _You_ don't mind if I hang out with you guys for a while, do you?" she asked in a more cheery tone compared to her previous complacent one. Despite her innocent looking demeanor, Warren took note of the devious glint in her eyes. It was obvious she wasn't going to take no for an answer, no matter what Kaitlyn said.

Kaitlyn, who was in the process of setting down her backpack against another tree, stopped midway to blankly glance at Chase. Her voice faltered as she averted her sheepish gaze from Chase, her discomfort for being put on the spot clearly evident. "Er…"

Warren spared Kaitlyn from the misery. "Do what you gotta do," he muttered. He honestly couldn't be bothered to care anymore.

"See," Chase giggled at Aster, who huffed loudly. "And with that, I'll be going to sleep. Night everyone!" With that, she settled down onto Aster's blanket and curled herself into the covers, not before kicking his slingbag off for good measure. It only took her a few seconds before Warren heard her snores, as Meowstic and Mothim cuddled next to her.

"Technically it should be morning," Aster mumbled as he yanked his slingbag off the ground, clearly exasperated of the bundle of bodies on his own personal spot. "And what's the point in having her come along, she's just gonna drag us down."

Warren didn't answer him, and only gave him a shrug. He got an unimpressed look in reply. "Yea, whatever. Just don't make me regret this," he responded as he lied down on his log, getting himself as comfortable as he could so he could sleep.

If anything, Warren didn't know how he felt about Aster and Chase. While they seemed capable, their squabbles were already grinding on his nerves. Chase also didn't sit too well in Warren's mind, with her manipulative and occasionally condescending attitude. Aster, on the other hand, was way too snarky, and there were times when Warren wanted to punch that stupid smirk off of his face. He silently wondered what Kaitlyn thought about the two, but when he looked for her, he didn't see her.

Kaitlyn wasn't anywhere near the site it seemed, but she was more off at the edge than at the center. Her back was facing him, and she was staring into the darkness from the trees, an unusually solemn expression cast over her features.

"Doing alright?" he asked, concerned over how unusually standoffish she was.

He looked at the girl's hunched over shoulders before she stood still and huffed loudly. Kaitlyn turned around swiftly around, sending Warren a grin with a slight quirk on her lips. "Yea, I'm fine," she laughed.

She settled back down from the balls of her feet, averted her eyes from his intense stare. Her grin was still on her face, but it seemed forced. Her voice trailed off as she spoke. "...I'm gonna go to sleep anyways. You need anything?"

He frowned in response, her uncertainty only raising his suspicion. "I don't, no."

Kaitlyn nodded and stepped away, settling to the ground against a tree. She dug through her backpack, pulling out the blanket he had given to her from the other night. Sending him a soft "good night," she turned to face away from him. It didn't take long for her to doze off, especially with her quickly her breathes started to get heavier. Her Pokemon settled down as well, huddling close to her form to maintain some warmth, but they didn't fall asleep yet.

… _She isn't alright. Isn't she._

_No, she's not. It's been a long day for her. For all of us, really._

_Is there anything we can do? She's barely even looked at us since that fight._

_If I knew there was something, I would've done it already. We should be patient with her. High chance she's thinking about La-_

Their conversation suddenly stopped, and Kaitlyn's Petilil turned his head to glance at Warren. It was a clear dismissal with how the Petilil continued to watch him, and Warren ducked his head away out of meer sheepishness. It was rare for him to be so ruffled over a single stare alone, he thought as he shuffled towards Vex and Vera, but he had a feeling that Kaitlyn's Pokemon were discussing about something personal. His ears burned lightly from an unfamiliar feeling of shame.

He probably shouldn't have overheard that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Also, ignore the fact that I temporarily forgot about how Dragon-type moves didn't effect Fairy or how Psychic didn't effect Dark. Won't happen again haha)
> 
> Character List:
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilil) and Kit (Vibrava)   
>  \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)  
>  \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and Azumarill (Echo)   
>  \- Chase McCloud: Meowstic (Meowstic) and Mothim (Mothim)


	7. Epiphanies and Annoyances

Aster woke up with the sun.

The moment the sun would peek out from the horizon, some part of his body would always scream and nag at him to wake up. He would stir from his slumber, groggy and perhaps the slightest bit disorientated, before he would shuffle his way to the nearest water source away from the campsite just to splash onto his face.

Whenever he'd return Warren was usually already up, but they wouldn't exchange any words. In any usual time, Aster probably would've bantered with Warren about anything, doing everything he could to push at his buttons. But morning was usually a sacred time, and his mind would be too unhinged to even bother thinking.

Kaitlyn would then wake up an hour or two later, with her movements slow and her wavy hair a mess. She would always attempt to brush it with her fingers, but would give up midway to tie it into her usual braid, her eyes sleepily blinking as she did so. Sometimes Aster didn't know what was going on in that pretty little head of hers, but he didn't really want to know otherwise.

Chase would always be the last up, though Aster supposed it was mainly due to her injury. The arm was swelling up, and if he were a more compassionate person, he would've been more concerned. However, he didn't really care much. It was obvious that Chase wasn't a morning person either, with her stomping around the site and complaining about anything she could get her hands on. The air was too hot. The site was too messy. Someone was being to loud. It always made Aster want to tear his hair out (which of course, he never would, but it's the thought that counts).

He didn't really want to stay with them. If anything, he found Chase too whiny and Warren too broody. Kaitlyn wasn't much of a step up either, with how flighty she was.

However, he was stuck with them for the time being.

As he leaned against a tree, he heard Chase complain once again to Warren. "Hey, can we get moving already. I want to get to Fallarbor as soon as possible."

That reminded Aster of their current predicament. A few days had passed since they left Petalburg, but now they were stuck in the foresty depths of Petalburg Forest. It wasn't much of a step up, per say, but Aster would take what he could get. He didn't mind staying in the forest to get some down time, even though he didn't like staying at a single spot for too long, but Chase always wanted to get moving as soon as possible. For a brief moment his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he remembered how bossy Chase was.

"I want us to head to Fallarbor," Chase had demanded the day after they all escaped Petalburg. They were all walking along a trail that led them into Petalburg Forest, though they'd remained cautious just in case of any looters.

Warren had stopped walking and turned to face her. "Why?"

He was only met with crossed arms. Or at least, as much as Chase could've crossed them with her injured arm. Aster had tried not to snicker as she replied to Warren's question. "I'm trying to find someone. I know I'll find him at Fallarbor, but last time I was there, he was nowhere to be seen. I need to check back just to see if I've missed anything."

Warren had waved his hand dismissively in the air, before turning to walk again after her explanation. "Yea, sure. Whatever. It's on the way anyways."

 _And of course, that leads us to the situation we're in now._ Aster huffed under his breath as he remembered Warren's aloofness. Honestly, if he wasn't such a pushover, then maybe Aster wouldn't have to deal with such an annoying traveling companion. Though the word "companion" was already pushing it.

He finally snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Warren's reply to Chase's demand. "You literally just woke up, Chase. You're in no shape or form to start moving now. Besides, we have to redress that wound."

"I'm fine. I want to get moving right now," the girl once again demanded. Aster rolled his eyes from where he sat on his fallen log.

"You're an idiot then," Warren deadpanned.

"Excuse me? Mind repeating that?" Chase glared. She attempted to get up onto her feet from the ground but unknowingly got up from her injured arm. The pressure caused her arm to falter, and she awkwardly stumbled right back onto the ground. Her Meowstic attempted to catch her fall, though there wasn't much he could do with his tiny body, and he was forced to back away for risk of getting crushed. Aster hid his grin with a snort.

Warren still hadn't moved from his spot however, obviously unimpressed with her false bravado. "I said you're an idiot. We're not going to make any progress if you disregard your health."

"Well, did I ever ask you?" she retorted, her pride clearly not shaken yet.

If anything, their obvious one-sided argument was rather laughable, with Chase's failed attempts to provoke Warren. In fact, it was rather amusing as Aster snickered quietly at the scene in front of him. If anyone thought the he was the uncooperative one in their little group, Aster would probably point them to Chase's direction, because it was as if the girl wasn't even trying to get along with Warren. Though Aster supposed it had to do with her distrust with three complete strangers. _Well, I probably don't count as a complete stranger, but I could be classified as one._

Ignoring Chase's shrill shrieks, Aster shuffled his way to his Pokemon who were hanging around with Warren's. Despite him and Warren not getting along too well, surprisingly, their Pokemon had little to no problems with each other. Their personalities corresponded with each other's perfectly, Aster noted, as he saw each of his Pokemon split with another one of Warren's.

Vex and Echo were in the middle of sparring, though if anything, they seemed to be playing instead. It was obvious the two were making a game out of Vex's Grass Knots, as Echo didn't bother to attack Vex and hopped around on the grass to avoid a cheap shot. It wasn't until one of the bigger Grass Knots snagged Echo's foot that he finally tripped and face planted onto the ground. Aster could hear Vex's gruff laugh as Echo jumped back up again, ready for another round. The Azumarill had too much excess energy for his own good.

Celestine, on the other hand, was only relaxing with Vera, most of her guard completely down. Frankly, it was a bit surprising to see Celes so relaxed under another Pokemon's presence besides Echo, but he was happy to see her let loose for once. He saw Vera twirl her stick in the air, letting out a small burst of flickering flames. From that, Celes used a light Psychic attack on the flames, manipulating them to create miniature shapes of their respective trainers in the middle of an argument. Aster frowned when he saw Vera sport a smug grin, and Celes knowingly looked at Aster with amused eyes.

Nevermind. Celes didn't deserve to make friends if she was going to treat him like this. Vera was a bad influence indeed. Reading his thoughts, Celes let out a good natured chuckle, causing Aster to grumble under his breath. Sometimes he forgot she could read his thoughts like that, years of partnership aside.

It was then when he realized that Leo and Kit were nowhere to be found. For the past few days, Aster had noted that the two smaller Pokemon always stuck to Vera like glue. Or at least, Kit would follow her around like a lost Lillipup, while Leo would reluctantly trail after him.

Now that he thought about it, Kaitlyn was nowhere to be seen around the campsite either. In any usual case, the brunette girl would be sitting by herself while sorting through supplies or hanging around with Warren. To be fair, Warren always seemed to be hovering over her, either to make sure she didn't fuck anything up or just to keep an eye on her. Aster was willing to put his bets on the latter, since the older boy did carry a sort of soft spot for her.

If Kaitlyn was missing, and Warren hadn't noticed, Aster had no doubts the older would soon scour the entire forest to look for her. And Aster wasn't willing to deal with that.

Grabbing his steel rod, Aster stepped out to the edge of the site. He made sure to make eye contact with Celestine, signalling to her that he was going to be heading out. The Gardevoir only nodded, pointing him towards a certain direction behind a mess of logs, before turning her attention back to Vera.

Well, that would make his search for a certain lost Skitty ten times easier.

* * *

It didn't take long for Aster to find Kaitlyn.

There was a nearby lake that Aster had found earlier in the morning to wash his face, and he knew he'd find Kaitlyn somewhere around there too. Crouched near the lakeshore, Kaitlyn had her Vibrava on her lap as her Petilil leaned against her side. She didn't stir when Aster stepped through the foliage around him, preferring to stare into the water instead of acknowledging his presence. He moved to stand beside her, and an awkward silence unfolded.

She seemed to be deep in thought, with her furrowed eyebrows. He briefly considered taking a jab at her apparent sullen behavior, but with her Pokemon there with her, he decided not to. Aster didn't know what she could possibly be pondering about either, as it wasn't like she had dealt with much loss before.

But then again, in times such as these, everyone had at least lost something.

Scratching the bridge of his nose, Aster finally spoke. "Leaving without telling anyone huh? You got a death wish or something?"

She flinched at the sound of his voice, but then relaxed when she realized it was just him. She turned herself back around to avoid his judgemental gaze. Her grip on her Vibrava tightened. "There's no one around here anyways," she mumbled. "Besides, I didn't want to bother you guys."

Was she really that stupid? Even if she thought that no one else was around, it didn't mean there _wasn't_ anyone ready to ambush her. Aster forced down the exasperated sigh that nearly made its way out of his lips, and crouched down next to Kaitlyn instead. It was until then that he realized the stillness of the water, and took note at how strangely tranquil it was. It'd be a waste if he didn't make use of such a prime opportunity.

He felt around the ground for a single pebble, and with a practiced toss, he flicked it into the water. The rock bounced across the water several times before sinking with a splash. "Huh, I did worse than usual."

Kaitlyn blinked. "Huh?"

"Rock skipping. You even know what that is?" He grabbed another rock and tossed it across the lake.

"O-of course I know! Last time I've ever done it was when…" her voice trailed off into a hushed whisper.

He didn't pressure her to keep speaking, as he only continue to toss more pebbles into the lake. For a moment, he considered getting up to leave, but decided not to; Warren and Chase were probably still having their one-sided argument anyways. As much as it pained him to say it, Kaitlyn would be much better company than those two at the moment, even though it was obvious she was completely distracted.

 _One, two, three, four…_ He counted the amount of skips in his head and took note of the rock's distance. It had been a while since he indulged himself in such a mundane activity, but rock skipping always had served as a nice distraction for him. After a few moments passed, Kaitlyn finally broke the silence. "I'm useless," she stated.

She continued on. "The only thing I can do is be a healer, and even then I've barely got the basics. I can barely even fight as I am now either. I'm not quick enough to read my opponent's attacks and give out orders to my Pokemon before they or anyone else get hurt."

Aster continued to toss another pebble out into the water while Kaitlyn fumbled with her fingers. "I can't even fight myself. I don't have any experience with hand-to-hand combat and I have no idea how to use a weapon. As of this point, I'm just dead weight."

Her voice trailed off into a hushed whisper, her self-loathing evident from the tone of her voice. Now if Aster were Warren, despite how dangerous the older boy was, he probably would've given her a nice pat on the back and assured her that she wasn't useless. But he wasn't Warren. It wasn't his job to coddle her. Instead, he raised an eyebrow. "Yea, and?"

A look of confusion settled onto her face, obviously unused to such bluntness. "What do you mean by and?"

His hand grasped for yet another pebble and he prepared to toss it. "All you have to do is do something. Stop making such a big deal out of it."

She frowned. "You make it sound so easy."

The arm that was swinging back in preparation to throw the pebble halted, and Aster let go of his grip on it. He scratched the bridge of his nose once again, trying to push down his frustration. "Look princess, I don't want to repeat myself. I told you to do something about it."

She stared at him.

He started to rant. "You can throw yourself a pity party all you like. Boo-frickity-hoo. But when you're actually fighting out there, it's a matter of life or death. No one's gonna care about your feelings because the only thing they're gonna want to do is to stab a knife through your body." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting himself cool down for a bit. Life wasn't supposed to be easy in the first place, and Kaitlyn's attitude rubbed him in all the wrong places.

Survival was a game after all. You can't just wallow in despair; you have to play to win.

After a few more breathes, he opened his eyes again to bend down and grab yet another pebble. That was until he faced Kaitlyn.

She was still staring at him.

"What," he scowled.

A look of contemplation passed over her face before she spoke again. "Train me," she said.

Now it was his turn to stare. "What?" he echoed.

She tilted her head to the side, the side of her lips quirked up for a small grin as she stood up. "So now you want me to repeat myself? You're quite hypocritical, aren't you?"

"No, I mean-" he momentarily fumbled with his words, taken aback by her sudden snark. He composed himself quickly though, his tone hardening once more. "Do I look like I'm taking students here? Instead of asking me, go ask Warren instead or something. He'll be more willing to put up with you more than m-"

"No."

"Excuse me?"

She shook her head. "As much as I'd prefer Warren's presence, he's just going to shelter me. I need someone who can take me seriously and not hold back."

To be honest, it was rather surprising, and Aster found himself interested with her response. He thought of her as the type to disregard the problems right in front of her, preferring to turn a blind eye instead. He guessed he was proven wrong. "Well count me impressed, you _are_ self aware after all."

Reaching for his back belt loop, he grabbed the steel rod he had brought with him. He held it in his grip and took a few steps back from her, pointing the rod at her while doing so. "We'll start now. Try to disarm me."

She scratched her cheek. "Right now? Aren't you going to give me any other instructions?"

Aster smirked. "What's the matter? Where's your bravado now?"

The girl flinched in surprise, but then readied her stance. With a burst from her right foot, she sprinted at him, her arm reached out to grab his rod. She successfully grabbed it, and tried to pull it out of his grip, but Aster simply used his other arm to knock it away, and with a sweep of a single foot, he knocked off her balance and sent her to the ground.

Observing her downed figure, he tossed the rod in the air and caught it again. "Sloppy attempt, especially if you don't know much about hand-to-hand combat. I'll give you a piece of advice though. Consider it as your first lesson, if you will."

"Even if you don't have any weapons, use any resource you can possibly manage. Start thinking outside of the box. Try again."

From the ground she stared at him, taking in his words. Her eyes began to dart around the area, possibly looking for a makeshift weapon or something. But then the ground began to rumble.

It wasn't enough to cause Aster to lose his balance, but it certainly did catch him off guard. An earthquake? In the middle of the forest? He wasn't a professional when it came to geography, but even he knew there weren't any tectonic plates near the vicinity of Petalburg forest. For a split second, he considered getting Kaitlyn out of the area to get her back to the site, but then a flurry of petals surrounded them.

_Did she jus-_

Kaitlyn sprinted at him once more, but this time, it was Aster who was at a clear disadvantage. In an attempt to knock the rod off of his grip, she used her right arm to block his arm to the side, and used the left hand to grab the rod. He shifted his weight into one of his feet just to regain his balance and to snatch the rod back, but in a blind panic, she used her shoulder and gave him a large shove back.

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by water. For a moment, he had to physically keep himself from snorting under the water. He had fully expected Kaitlyn to use a left over tree branch or something instead of engaging with such underhanded tactics. A sneak attack with her Pokemon was uncalled for.

But at the same time, he knew it was his fault for being unprepared.

He swam back to the surface and let out a gasp, just to see Kaitlyn peeking over the bank's edge. Her eyebrows were knitted together in concern, and even her Pokemon mirrored her expression. The mini earthquake was probably her Vibrava's doing with his Earth Power, and the petals obviously came from her Petilil.

She called out to him, her hands moving wildly in the air. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry! I panicked and I just pushed you, I mean, you ju-

She continued to fumble with her words, babbling out nonsensical words that even he didn't understand. Then she finally settled down, mumbling out her last sentence in embarrassment. "I mean, you told me to use any resource available."

He looked at her, before he let out a noisy guffaw until he couldn't stop laughing. Her flustered behavior was too amusing. He probably already looked like an idiot, with his hair plastered to his face and everything, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He swam back to her, attempting to get his composure back together as he muffled his laughs. Stepping back to the bank, he approached the brunette girl, and snatched the rod back from her slack grip.

He sent her a boyish grin. "Looks like the kitten has claws after all."

Her eyes widened, perhaps remembering something, he didn't know. But soon enough, she shyly smiled back. "Yea, I guess she really does this time."

* * *

Chase grumbled under her breathe as Warren forced her to sit down.

"We're gonna have to give it a clean first," he said, taking out a wet piece of cloth (courtesy of Echo who sprayed fresh water onto it). He continued to wrap it around her arm tightly, causing her to wince a bit from the sting. "We don't have any med kits or herbal remedies so you need to be careful about this."

She hated to agree with him, but to a certain degree, he was right. Her wound was already beginning to swell up without proper treatment, and while Aster's Gardevoir knew Heal Pulse, the effect the move had on humans was minimal at best. Plus, Aster was adamant on the Pokemon keeping as much energy to herself as possible, the absolute jerk. Because of this, it wasn't like Chase hadn't considered the dangers of infection, but there wasn't any time to wait around.

She had to find her father, before it was too late. She had to have missed something.

Of course she had checked up on her hometown some time before, but in her hastiness she had completely missed the underground cave beneath her neighbor's house. The place was kept a secret and the only people who had known of that place were residents in the farming town.

If her father was hiding out anywhere, it would definitely be that place. And the more she delayed getting there, the higher the chances of him being gone.

She would be damned if she would let that happen.

Chase suddenly winced again when Warren gave a particularly harsh tug on the cloth he was wrapping around her arm as he tied it up. His eyebrow were knitted together, an annoyed frown present on his features with her callousness. "You have to be more responsible with your wound. It's just going to damage you more if you keep up this idiocy.

She could feel her jaw clench after hearing his words. Who did he think she was? It wasn't like he knew her or anything. It was as if he was accusing her of holding the group back, when obviously it wasn't. It wasn't like she asked to be injured in the first place.

In any other case, she probably would've ignored him, sending him a tight-lipped smile in reply with a snarky remark. Such a small statement normally didn't deter her, but instead, her face flushed, and she tore her arm out of his grip, her movements jerky and unstable. Blinded by her rage, she lashed back at him. "What, aren't you a self-righteous prick, talking about responsibilities like that! It's like you're making me out to be some sort of liar or something!"

Warren pressed his lips together. "I never said tha-"

"How about you look at yourself in the mirror before you spout off such bullshit! You talk about responsibility, yet you don't even take care of yourself. Care to talk about that limp you have right now when that root snagged your foot a few days ago? Don't think you're being discreet! Kaitlyn even asked you if you were injured and yet you still brushed it off," she yelled, stabbing her finger at his chest.

"That's not even at the same level as a slash wound, you can't just compare those two," he retorted, knocking her hand off from him as he said so.

"And you just lie to everyone, your 'cold and mysterious' front is so obvious that it's almost painful."

"Calm down. That's none of your business Chase."

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do!"

"Arceus, just take a seat and cool off. We're not going to be having this discussion right now."

"Stop trying to change the subject. Is that what you always do? Avoid all of your problems? Is that why you constantly cry at night? Cry me a fucking river, it's because you've got something to hide isn't it? But guess what, everyone knows but no one says anything about it! Well, I'm not afraid to call you out on tha-"

"That's enough!"

His shout snapped her out of her fury, and she blinked, before a feeling of utter shame washed over her. Clearly, she had struck a chord. For the past few days, it was obvious Warren was a man of few words who never bothered to shout even when necessary. Hearing him raise his voice like that clearly showed that she went too far.

Her concern for her father had caused her to lash out in the worst way possible. She had gotten so angry over such a innocuous statement as well. The back of her ears burned as she immediately stepped down. "... Sorry. That was uncalled for."

He didn't reply, but his jaw was still tense and his fists were clenched. He opened his mouth to snap back at her but then she heard a small rustle from the bushes behind her.

Wait, a small rustle?

She whipped around, but the bushes continued to rustle. Technically, it could be just the wind, or a wild Pokemon, or even another human, but Chase didn't want to take any chances. With practiced precision, Warren also widened his stance in preparation for a potential fight, pulling out his machete in the process. From the side, the Pokemon had stopped interacting with each other as well, focusing their attentions onto the moving bushes.

And then a girl stepped out. Beachy brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her hair was held into twin tails and her clothes were a bit tattered. Despite this, they still held themselves together. However, it wasn't the girl's outfit that Chase paid attention to.

No, it was how strangely open and childlike her features were. Even with Warren pointing his machete at her, and their Pokemon being ready to pounce, the stranger was still rather relaxed. Her eyes only widened a bit before a large grin broke out onto her face. The girl jumped on the balls of her feet, suddenly exclaiming in a high pitched voice, "I knew there were people here!"

What?

"Who are you?" Warren cautiously asked, still not letting his guard down despite the girl's seemingly harmless appearance. Then again, Chase didn't blame him. Looks were always deceiving. Sometimes the most harmless looking people were actually the deadliest. She knew that by experience.

The stranger instead smiled and started to babble. "I mean, I was only searching for some freshwater, since there's a freshwater lake nearby. Did you guys know about that by the way? Oh, and I also thought there would be some wild Pokemon around here, even though there's like none. Buuuut there's always a few roaming around somewhere because even though they're harder to find now, it's not like they're extinct, and oh! You're injured?"

Chase blinked and then noticed the stranger was looking straight at her bandaged arm. She hastily hid it behind her back, gritting as a sharp burst of pain spiked past her arm. She held back the yelp that was itching to pass her lips. "I'm not injured."

Warren exasperatedly sighed. "Yes, she is."

There goes hiding any weaknesses.

The stranger bounced her way over to Chase, still ignoring the Pokemon at the side and Warren's weapon, though he was gradually beginning to lower his machete. She grabbed at Chase's arm and tugged her toward her. Running her fingers on top of the bandage, she nodded. "Yea, that's injured alright. There's a bump right there."

Chase tore her arm from the girl's grip. "Who said you could touch i-"

"But not to worry! Because I know just the person to fix it right up!" the girl interrupted, laughing as she did so. Chase could feel the beginnings of a headache forming from her peppy nature.

"I mean, I was already on my way to visit him, so I might as well drag you along too. Come on, come on, let's go!" Once again, the girl snatched Chase's arm again and tugged her towards the edge of the site. She eyed at Warren too, waiting for him to come along, but he seemed a bit dumbfounded from her behavior.

Hell, even their Pokemon seemed confused.

"What's going on here?" a voice asked from the side. The girl let go of her grip on Chase, and spun around. Chase, who had dug her heels into the forest floor to prevent her from being dragged away, also heard the voice, but she wasn't too concerned. She was already accustomed to that familiar, yet annoying voice.

Her face automatically settled into a scowl, but when she turned around, she immediately broke out into laughter.

Stepping out into the site, Aster was completely soaked, and Kaitlyn shuffled sheepishly behind him. His clothes were plastered to his body and his layered black hair was sticking to his forehead. With the some pieces of the said black hair draping over his eyes and the glare on his face, he looked just like an angry wet Lillipup.

Chase couldn't help but cackle at his appearance. "What happened to you? Decided to take a swan dive into the lake for the hell of it?"

"Of course not. I'd never willingly throw myself into the lake for the fun of it," Aster snarked back, though the state of his clothes proved otherwise. Chase didn't think Aster would answer her truthfully anyways, so she looked at Kaitlyn, who blushed.

"I, um, accidently pushed him in…" Kaitlyn stuttered. Aster gave her a light shove at her side, and she blinked apologetically at him.

If Chase wasn't laughing before, she definitely was now. The idea of meek Kaitlyn shoving Aster, the most insufferable know-it-all in Hoenn, into a lake was certainly a sight that Chase regretted not seeing. However, the knowledge of it happening was already enough for her. Of course, Chase didn't exactly like Kaitlyn that much either with her obvious confidence issues, but she was leagues above Aster. Warren, on the other hand, seemed rather baffled at Kaitlyn's words and Chase's guffaws.

The stranger then spoke up, seemingly oblivious to Aster's current state. "Hey, are these two guys with you as well? They can come along as well, the more the merrier!"

Finally, Aster and Kaitlyn noticed the third party among Chase and Warren. Kaitlyn scratched at the side of her head, her eyes narrowing in confusion, and Aster squinted at the young girl. "Who is this child, and where are her parents?"

Well, that certainly another way to call the stranger.

The girl puffed out her cheeks. "Hey! The name's Launa, and I'm not a child! I'm 15 after all!"

Aster shrugged, still looking unamused. "Doesn't change anything, you still look like a child anyway."

Kaitlyn nudged his side. "Aster…"

He sighed, dropping his unamused stare to face Warren instead. "Ergh, fine. But seriously, what is she doing here?"

Chase tilted her head. It was rare to see Aster back down so easily from just a simple nudge, and from Kaitlyn no less. With Kaitlyn's passive nature, why would Aster waste any time with her? And even then, Warren was also rather protective of the girl, especially with how his eyebrows were furrowed in suspicion toward Aster. Chase sighed exasperatedly. She didn't understand Kaitlyn's appeal. The girl was way too indecisive, yet for some reason people seemed to gravitate toward her.

Warren spoke up to reply to Aster. "This girl came over just now. She offered to find a place to heal Chase's cut."

"Yea, and time's ticking! Best we get there before the sun goes down and it's already the afternoon!" Launa sang. She bounced her way over to Kaitlyn and immediately latched onto her arm instead. "Besides, I got lots of stories to tell all of you along the way. Oh! There was this one time where Absol, he's my best friend by the way, was just a baby, and he would follow me around _everywhere_. It was adorable, I haven't gushed about him in so long! And also, there's Miloti-"

Launa continued to chatter on, to the point where Chase lost track of what the younger girl was talking about. Even though Launa was directing her prattling to the entire group, it was obvious her attention was fixated onto Kaitlyn, who just looked rather flustered.

Seriously? Even Launa was enamored with Kaitlyn too?

Chase broke out of her thoughts when Aster crossed his arms. "You can't be serious, we're actually following along with this child?"

"I told you already, I'm not a chi-"

Warren cut her off. "Well, Chase's wound might already be infected anyways. That Bisharp really did a number on her."

Aster stalked over to Chase and grasped her arm, and despite her trying to tug it away, he only gripped it tighter. First she had to deal with Warren, then Launa, and now Aster grabbing at her arm like it was nothing. Especially with Aster still being soaked, she didn't want to get wet either.

He brushed his fingers over the bandage and callously felt around the more swelled up areas, before nodding and letting go. "Alright, I'll pack my stuff then and try to dry up. Our Pokemon seem ready to roll out anyways too."

She glanced at their Pokemon, and realized that Aster was right. Meowstic and Mothim were already rolling her supplies into her backpack. It also seemed that Aster and Warren's Pokemon had stopped interacting with each other too, and were also doing what Meowstic and Mothim were doing. Kaitlyn's Petilil and Vibrava were still staying close to Kaitlyn as her stuff was already packed.

Looks like the Pokemon were the ones who were more productive than their trainers. How embarrassing.

Launa also noticed as well, as she immediately perked up. "Your Pokemon are ready right? They finished your packing for you, that means you guys are all set! Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go!"

Chase really hoped she wouldn't have to deal with this kid for too long.

* * *

"Sir, I came in here for a report."

The man in question stopped typing on his laptop and shut it upon hearing the messenger's voice. "On with it."

He received a nod in reply. "Petalburg is in a state of massacre. There have been reports of more extreme looting than usual. Not just during the night, but in the daylight as well."

He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever happened to the man we assigned? William, was it?"

"Someone found him dead. There's been a power struggle over there as of now between different people. Your orders?"

"Retrieve William's Pokemon. There's no guarantee you'll find the Pokemon, but do what you can. The city's already destroyed so there's no point in restoring it."

"Understood."

The man gritted his teeth and his fists clenched. "I can't believe we wasted those Pokemon on him. We shouldn't have entrusted him with that power. William was always too overconfident in his abilities and was way too cowardly to get anything done."

The man then shook his head. "But enough of that. You are dismissed." With that, the messenger left and closed the door behind him.

Returning to his laptop, the man opened it back up again and started to look through the Pokemon inventory in the database. While it was a shame that they had lost a valuable asset, in the end, it didn't make much of a difference. William already served his purpose, even though the useless man could've done a better job.

No matter though. He was already getting closer and closer to his goal.

And besides that, he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character List: 
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilil) and Kit (Vibrava)   
>  \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)   
>  \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and Azumarill (Echo)   
>  \- Chase McCloud: Meowstic (Meowstic) and Mothim (Mothim)   
>  \- Launa Everett: Absol (Absol) and Milotic (Milotic)


	8. Trust

It was like she never knew how to shut up.

They were all still trekking through the mess that was Petalburg Forest, and Chase was already beginning to sweat under the extreme heat. She wiped off some sweat that was building up on her forehead, and glanced at everyone else in the group. They all looked completely exhausted, with Kaitlyn tying her hair out of her usual braid into a ponytail, and Warren chugging down some of their excess water. Aster's clothes had also finally dried out from his swim in the lake, but instead of his usual remarks, he was silently panting. Then again, Chase didn't blame him.

However, Launa was somehow still skipping along the dirt path, giggling as she went. "Come on! We're almost out of the forest already!"

Really? The forest still looked the same to Chase. She could've sworn they just walked past the same tree. How was Launa able to tell the difference?

"Oh, you can tell just by looking through the patterns on the rocks. See here, this has a minor indent to this one compared to the rocks we walked past twenty minutes prior. And if you look up at the sky with the leaf arrangements, you can tell minor differences as well, I mean they do change occasionally but it's not much of a difference. There's also all these sorts of different trees and such, Hoenn is such a vast place! Did you know that there's a city that is comprised of only trees? I mean, I lived there so of course I would kno-"

Damnit, she spoke out loud. And how was Launa able to speak all of that under a single breath?

Chase's injury throbbed as she continued to walk, and she could feel her irritation build up. "Could you just shut up? Some of us would appreciate some peace and quiet here," she demanded.

However, while Launa did stop speaking, she seemed unperturbed with Chase's retort. Sporting a giant grin on her face, she was now humming a light tune under her breathe, her arms swinging as she went.

From beside Chase, Aster snorted. "Aww, Chase, you don't have to be so mean. Don't rain on her parade like that." Even under the extreme heat, he still had the energy to mock her like this.

"Was I talking to you?" she scowled.

"Woaah there." He brought his hands up, taking a few steps away from her. "We got a fiesty one here everyone! I might need some help here guys." The raven side-eyed both Warren and Kaitlyn who were trailing behind them.

Despite this, while Kaitlyn immediately looked away to glance at the trees next to them, Warren had a single eyebrow raised in annoyance. He then picked up his pace to position himself between Aster and Chase. Aster pouted.

While Chase was still rather indignant to Aster's behavior, she was rather grateful for Warren's interference. Though she would rather drop dead then actually admit it.

The group then began to travel in silence, save for the sound of their scuffling feet. While the heat and humidity were still unbearable, Chase could be thankful for the hanging canopies above them to offer them shade. At least, that was until she noticed a giant opening between a small group of trees.

"Aaaand, we're finally out!" Launa squealed, confirming her thoughts.

The first step back out under the Hoenn sun was… blistering to say the least. Say what she will about the humidity and darkness in the Petalburg Forest, but despite finally being able to relatively see again, the hot sun beating down on her made Chase want to scurry back into the forest again. Instead, she huffed loudly and quickened her pace. "Can we hurry it up? The faster we get moving, the quicker we can get out of this heat."

Launa giggled, bounding over to Chace to walk beside her. "Now that's the spirit! Besides, we just need to cross that bridge to get to Rustboro City!"

Looking up, Chase finally noticed the giant lake that seperated Petalburg Forest from the battered city that was Rustboro. And… there was no bridge to be seen. At least, not a stable one. Shattered timber logs were half sunken into the water, and parts of the bridge were cut off. Some of the planks didn't look like they were attached to anything either, and were even seen floating on the water instead.

"Cross that bridge?" Chase echoed, her eyes furrowing in confusion.

Launa paused for a bit, staring blankly into the lake as she did so, until she laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, sorry. Sometimes I forget that this bridge isn't exactly a bridge anymore."

"How do you propose we cross it then?" Warren asked.

Launa placed her hands onto her hips, and sported the brightest grin Chase had the displeasure of ever seeing. "Well, we swim of course!"

From behind Chase, Aster groaned.

Surprisingly, the swim went by a lot faster than Chase had expected.

Especially with the scorching heat, the cool water was rather refreshing. But once they all got out of the water at the other side, Chase soon regretted their decision of swimming across the lake. Her clothes were plastered to her skin, and the humidity wasn't helping matters once again. Couldn't they just have traveled through the thick shrubbery around the lake instead of swimming?

It wasn't only her that was miserable either, as Warren was now salvaging through the contents in his backpack, looking for supplies that weren't already wet. While everyone was using floating wooden planks as temporary paddle boards, Warren and Laura had to place their backpacks on theirs to prevent their stuff from sinking into the lake. Aster was able to ask Echo to carry his own backpack above his head, and Kit easily carried Kaitlyn's supplies across the lake by flying over them. Mothim also gave Chase a hand with her backpack. Compared to Launa however, it looked like Warren was having a bit of a harder time, as he had more contents in his backpack.

Needless to say, it was rather amusing to see the aloof Warren struggling with swimming of all things. His battle against the sinking wooden plank was something Chase would never had thought she'd bear witness to.

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn was wringing water out of her long hair, wincing at the loose hairs she managed to pull out. Kit flew down next to her, handing her backpack over, and she thanked him with a tired smile. And of course, Aster was grumbling under his breath in annoyance, especially since he had just taken dive a few hours ago, and it was just his luck that once he had finally dried up, he had to go jump into another lake once again.

It didn't help matters that shortly after, Chase realized that they all could have rode on Launa's Milotic. When she interrogated the younger girl about it, she only got another bright grin in reply.

"So we all could've gotten our daily dose of exercise, duh!"

Chase had fought the urge to wring her neck.

Fortunately, Rustboro City was right there, so Chase supposed that was a small win there.

It didn't take much coaxing to get everyone moving once again, as they hitched their separate packs and made their way into the city. Some of them returned their Pokemon back into their Pokeballs, just to spare them from the heat. Chase didn't want Mothim to be too tired, just in case if she needed him at any moment.

Luckily, with the intense heat, they all dried off pretty fast.

It was strange though, as it had been years since Chase had last been to Rustboro City. Last time she had went was with her father, as he apparently had some meeting with the prestigious Devon Corp. She could still remember her ten-year old self staring at the building in awe, with its quartz pillars and velvet hallways.

Rustboro City had always been a beautiful city to her, but the ruined landscape was a far outcry from the previous city of stone. Previously towering buildings were now crumbled, and pebbles and rocks littered the floor. Chase supposed that erosion could've done its part on the buildings and landscape, but still...

While it was fascinating, it was also terrifying to see what eight years could do to a city alone.

The group traveled in silence, taking in the cityscape. Perhaps Aster had already trekked through the city numerous times before, but she figured someone like Kaitlyn hadn't ever stopped by Rustboro City once. It was eerie with how quiet the atmosphere was in Rustboro compared to Petalburg.

Soon enough, Launa stopping by a semi destroyed building. Some broken stone bricks were scattered across the ground, and the corners of some of the building seemed to have eroded as well. Other than that, however, it seemed rather intact. If she could even look a bit more closely, Chase could see a makeshift garden at the side through the cracks of a walled fence. It was pretty well hidden.

With a clear of her throat, Launa then pounded onto the door. "Heyyyy. Heyyy! I know you're in here you hermit!"

There was no response. From the side, Chase heard Kaitlyn whisper to Warren. "Maybe her friend isn't home?" Warren shrugged in reply.

Launa then huffed loudly, puffing out her cheeks. "Three seconds! You better open this door!"

Still no response.

Meanwhile, Aster sighed. "Yea. This is a hopeless cause. You sound like a fool, screaming at an inanimate object." Despite this, the younger girl in question ignored him, and only proceeded to start her countdown.

"I'm counting down now! One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

Absolutely nothing.

Aster rolled his eyes. "See? Nothing's gonna happe-"

With a sharp kick of Launa's foot, she shoved the door wide open. The wooden panels slammed against the wall as it opened, causing a loud bang to echo into the empty street. For a moment, Chase couldn't fathom that such a secure looking door was actually so flimsy.

From the other side of the door though, revealed a boy who looked like he'd just woken up. His hazel eyes were narrowed as he blinked slowly, and his posture was rigid. Dirty blonde hair was mused up and messy bangs covered a part of his eyes before he swept them aside with a quick brush of his hands. His feet tapped the floor. "Launa, did you really have to kick open the door? I just fixed it and I don't want you to break again anytime soon."

Warren raised an eyebrow. "Again?"

Launa shrugged. "Not my fault. Connor was just too slow."

"And is a little patience gonna kill you? Of course not. It isn't so hard to stand outside the door and wait for once," the boy, or Connor, Chase supposed, replied. Despite that, Chase couldn't blame him too much, Launa seemed like the type of person who never thought before she spoke. The girl never knew how to stand still.

Launa purposefully ignored Connor's remark on her character though, and instead changed the topic. "Anyways, guys this is Connor. Connor may be a shut in, but he's really smart. He's pretty much got a fully sustainable house here that he's developed by himself."

Now that Launa explicitly stated that, Chase could slightly understand what she meant. Clearly, this Connor guy knew what he was doing. His little humble abode was hidden away a bush of shrubbery and vines that painted the walls of the building. Had Launa not led them straight there, Chase probably wouldn't have noticed the door. The door was probably made out of wood for a reason - to blend into the greenery.

From afar, the building looked abandoned, with erosion eating away parts of the walls and weeds sprouting from the ground. Chase could only assume what was inside the building about what resources he had, as seen such with his makeshift garden she had previously noticed.

Lost in her thoughts, Chase almost didn't hear Connor speak up. "And you thought it was a good idea to drag along…" He paused in between his sentence, his eyes carefully scanning the people in their group, before he looked back skeptically at Launa. "Four other people?"

Launa frowned. "Hey, it's actually five people? Can you count?"

"I'm not counting you, obviously."

"That doesn't matter."

Connor rubbed at his eyebrow, probably to ward off an impeding headache. His eyes wandered across each member of their group, and he looked rather confused. Chase wasn't too surprised though, they did make a pretty interesting group. With Warren's standoffish nature, Kaitlyn's anxiousness, and well… Aster, Chase would've reacted the same as Connor.

The boy in question sighed. "Well, even then, I'm rather busy right now, so your little spontaneous sleepover will have to wai-"

He stopped in the middle of his phrase, and it was then Chase realized his gaze had landed on her. It was like he was singling her out, his hazel eyes directly focused on her and her alone. She automatically crossed her arms and leaned back. "What's your problem?"

Connor didn't reply, his scrutinizing gaze looking more intense by the second. He wasn't even that tall, only having an inch or two on her, yet it seemed like he was looming over her. "How long have you had that injury?"

Chase uncrossed her arms to take a quick glance at her bandaged arm. Oh yea, that was still there. "A few days. Why's it matter?" she grumbled.

His mouth opened, whether it be because in disbelief or bemusement, she didn't know. But in the end, Connor shook his head and raised his voice. "Did you guys even treat this before hand?"

Chase opened her mouth to speak, but of course, Warren ended up speaking on her behalf. "We got into a fight with someone's Bisharp. Didn't have the necessary supplies to treat this.

Connor didn't look too impressed. "And where did you get this… bandage?"

"Came from some cloth. We had to make do," Warren responded. He swept his cloak around his body and gesticulated at the torn fabrics at the end of it.

Connor took a quick glance at Warren's cloak. "Don't tell me it came from that," he deadpanned.

No one else replied him.

Sighing loudly, Connor ran a hand through his head. He seemed crossed, as he tried to keep his cool. "You could've chosen any other piece of fabric. Something clean, something that doesn't have dirt stains or grime or something that doesn't get caught into leaves or branches. But you're telling me that no one decided to use their brains and thought that maybe, using a cloak of all things, wasn't that good of an idea?"

Once again, no one else spoke. Until Kaitlyn awkwardly stuttered, "U-um, we at least cleaned it with fresh water?"

"...Yea, I'm taking a look at this," Connor muttered, swinging the door wider. "Just get in, all of you. Don't touch anything though."

"Yay! I knew you'd give in!" Launa squealed, as she bounced her way into the house, shoving against the side of Chase's body as she did so.

At this point, Chase didn't even have the energy to scowl at her anymore.

Surprisingly, the interior of Connor's house was pretty organized.

Sure, there were rusted pipes that lined the walls and a pretty loud vent that was roaring at the side of the roof. But other than that, a bed mattress was sat at the corner of the room, as well as an old desk propped against it. On the desk was a mug and some papers, as well as a pen, and above it was a corkboard filled with more papers and notes. There was a small hallway that led to a rusted down, but workable kitchen, and a door that led to the backyard. Another table was seated across the kitchen, as well as another chair. At the corner of the room was a sleeping Jolteon and Togetic. Chase supposed those Pokemon were Connor's.

Besides the rust and dustiness, this would've seemed like a typical house a decade or so ago. It seemed normal. Almost too normal. If she was being honest with herself, it was actually a bit unnerving.

Though then again, maybe she just wasn't used to it.

As everyone shuffled their way into the house, Chase noted that it was getting a bit crowded. It was a rather small place after all, and they had too many people trying to squeeze their way inside. As if reading her thoughts, Aster spoke up. "Yea, Kaitlyn and I'll be outside until you finish your little checkup. We got things to do anyways."

Warren squinted at him. "What business do you have with her?"

Aster's eyes widened slightly, before he flashed a cheeky grin at him. "Well, that's none of your business now is it?" Without another word, he shoved his way back outside, but left the door open. Presumably for Kaitlyn to follow after him.

Warren took a deep breath after Aster's little display, obviously annoyed at his antics. He turned to face Kaitlyn, though his stony gaze visibly softened at her. "You don't have to follow along with him."

"No, it's ok. Besides, he's not lying, there are some things I need to at least talk to him about anyways," Kaitlyn reassured him with a shake of her head.

Warren's body only tensed up after her initial refusal, but soon relaxed once she placed a hand on his arm. He glanced up at the roof, before letting out another sigh. "Alright, fine. Just be careful."

Kaitlyn only smiled in response, before lightly jogging out the door. Warren stared after her.

Ergh. If only Chase had the time to gag. A part of her didn't understand why Warren was so hung over Kaitlyn. But then again…

Once you find someone you care about, it was best not to take them for granted. And Chase had to learn that the hard way.

Once Kaitlyn and Aster were out of the house, Connor nodded his head toward the chair at his desk, speaking to Chase. "Just take a seat over there. I'm gonna unwrap this thing."

Chase glared at him, but still complied anyways. She held her arm out to him, and he gently unraveled the cloth around it, wincing slightly as he did so. Of course her injury was a little better than before, and fresh tissue was beginning to develop, but the cut was still pronounced. At least most of the bleeding stopped, but her arm still swollen and ached. And some pus was still peaking out from the wound too.

Connor meanwhile, winced at the sight of Chase's wound. "Huh, I'm surprised you didn't have to stitch this together."

"It was just a cut," Chase mumbled under her breath.

"That's not a cut, that's a gash." Connor rolled his eyes at her stubbornness, but continued his work. He then examined the sides and stretched the skin a little. "It looks like it's healed relatively decently, but I don't wanna take any chances. Lately have you been feeling hot? Any headaches?"

"Um…" she contemplated it over for a bit, but then shook her head. "Not particularly, I don't have the time for those either. Been focused on other things."

"You really are a lucky one aren't you?"

"I suppose I am."

Connor sighed. "Well, you should go lie down on my bed for a bit. Relax for a bit. I'm going to grab some yarrow and aloe vera leaves I have growing out in the backyard. We'll rewrap that wound once I'm done," With that, he got up from his knees and began to walk out of the house.

"Heyyy, wait for me!" Within seconds, Launa was up on her feet as well, trailing after his heels. Funnily enough, his pace only picked up as he hastily left.

Chase probably would've laughed to herself at the humorous scene had she not realized it was just her and Warren alone in the room now.

Dear Arceus this was going to be awkward.

Memories of her outburst just a few hours tormented her mind. While Chase knew she could be rather blunt and rude when she was under stress, never had she ever been that insensitive before. Sure, she liked to prod at people's buttons, but even she knew when to stop.

With Warren then, her impatience had clouded her judgment, and she knew a simple sorry wouldn't be able to fix the uncomfortable tension between them.

Judging from Warren's unsure stature, he was uncomfortable too.

Chase cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the nervous lump residing there. "Hey… Warren?"

He didn't reply.

She continued on. "I'm… really sorry. About what happened back there."

Warren stood still for a bit before he responded. "It's fine, what's done is done. Can we move on?" Despite his words though, there was an edge to his voice. It was clear that Warren didn't want to broach the subject.

"No, I mean, it's just-" she fumbled with her words before taking a deep breath. "How do you remain so… calm?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Calm as in, how do you keep your cool? Everytime when there's a problem, you still manage to keep a level head. You don't get carried away in your anger, or collapse under the pressure. It almost makes me jealous. Against William, I was so… pissed off. And I needed help too. How do you do it?"

It was silent once again after that. For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore what she said until he spoke. "If you think I'm that calm all the time, then you're sorely mistaken." He had a faraway look in his eyes, and she looked away.

"Yea, but still…"

Chase fidgeted on her seat. A part of her wasn't sure if this was helping matters at all but…

Warren shook his head again, before eyeing the wall behind her head. "I don't know. I guess I had to force myself to stay calm, at least for the times my anger didn't get the best of me." He sighed. "All of us were forced to grow up fast anyways. We have to shove away our emotions or we'll just get picked off."

"No, that's… yea, you're right," she mumbled. "Really though, I'm sorry for what I said."

He finally looked away from the wall and at her instead. "I'm not gonna say it was alright, since that was really thoughtless of you. But…" his voice trailed off, and then he let out a soft huff. "I, erm… I can understand where you're coming from. Kinda. Your dad is everything to you, isn't he?"

"He's the only one left, and I haven't seen him for years." To be honest, a part of her did think her father might've died a long time ago, but she refused to believe that unless she saw his corpse herself.

"Did you have anyone else before?"

"I mean, of course I had my old group, but our numbers only dwindled over time even before William happened.. There used to be so many of us; Darrin used to complain about having more mouths to feed, but I don't think he minded going out to hunt more food for us. He always had a soft spot for the younger kids. Glenn was one of our oldest members, and though technically he was't the leader per say, he definitely kept an eye out for all of us. He was a really good healer, did you know?"

"And Alexis was… probably my best friend at the time. She was rash… stubborn… and never took no for an answer. We actually didn't get along too well when she first joined, we were always competing against each other. But once we finally reached an understanding, she was probably… ergh." Her breath hitched and she forced down a swallow. "It just… really sucks."

Warren simply stared at her, letting her talk until she was done. Once she stopped, he finally replied to her. "I um… I had a little sister. Her name was Astrid. She was everything to me too. Knew me like the back of her hand. She was a bit hot-headed at times, but she was also very sweet." He shifted on his feet, and his fists were clenched. "I miss her."

Chase felt a stab of sympathy that she quickly willed away. "You make it sound like she's…"

"Dead? Yea, she is," he bluntly replied, his voice curt. He then ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I… I don't really wanna talk about it."

"No, it's… it's fine. Really."

The two stood still in silence, which gave Chase some time to mull over her thoughts. Clearly, there was a lot more to Warren than she had thought. Of course, this was probably just menial information, and the older boy was probably carrying a lot more baggage than he had let appear. Even then, a part of her felt honored that he was willing to share a bit about himself to her, especially after the way she'd treated him.

"Hey…" she softly spoke up.

"Hm?"

"Maybe I shouldn't have judged you so hard before."

"... Same. I thought you were a cocky and arrogant brat."

"Well, gee, thanks," she laughed. She supposed he was partially right though, she knew she did come across as condescending at times.

Once she stopped her giggles, she turned back her head to look at him, making sure to keep steady eye contact to get her point across. "Seriously though, if you ever need me, I got your back. I guess. But this doesn't mean I'm gonna act this nice to you all the time from now on though!"

While she teased him a little at the end of her phrase, she wanted to make sure she came across as sincere. She held her breath for a bit, waiting for his response.

And then he finally nodded. "I'll count on that."

The moment Aster stepped back outside under the heat of the sun, he let his mind wander. And the first person he thought about, was Launa.

Frankly, the teenage girl confused him. What was her motive? What could she possibly gain by helping them out? He didn't understand her, and he thought she was incredibly suspicious. Especially with her happy-go-lucky personality; a part of him wondered if she had something to hide.

However, a small voice at the back of his head thought otherwise. That some people were just that genuinely nice. He pushed the thought aside though.

Then there was that Connor boy too. Aster didn't feel like he had much of a solid grasp of the blonde, with him being so hostile at first. One moment he wanted nothing to do with any of them, and then the moment he saw Chase's injury, he was ushering them all inside. Of course, he seemed more reluctantly accommodating than anything else, but it was still… strange, to say the least.

Compared to Warren, Kaitlyn, and Chase, who were predictable as hell, Aster knew nothing about Launa and Connor. And that irked him.

That aside though, he thought to himself as he heard Kaitlyn's footsteps making its way out the door. I got other things to attend to.

Kaitlyn's pace slowed to a halt as she approached him. "Sorry I took so long, I got held up for a bit," she said. "Is this what I think this is about tho-"

Perfect. He smirked. "Think fast!"

With a single flick of his wrist, he flung a dagger straight at her. She squeaked in response, but still managed to quickly sidestep. The dagger flew past her and stabbed a wooden panel behind her.

Kaitlyn stared at the thrown dagger. "What." She sharply inhaled, and then wheeled around to face him. "Did you really have to do that?"

Aster shrugged, ignoring her irritation. "Consider it as retribution for pushing me into the lake this morning," he laughed. "But hey, at least you dodged. You're pretty fast."

She wrinkled her nose, but didn't retort. Instead, she went back to pulled the dagger from the panel with a yank. "I mean, I suppose that's fair, and thanks. But what if the dagger actually hit me?"

Aster rolled his eyes. "Pft, please. I wasn't actually gonna hit you with that y'know. Made sure my aim was off and everything."

"How was I supposed to know about that?"

"Intuition? Instinct? Who knows, but you gotta learn to keep your eye up at all times. Don't ever let your guard down."

"Do you always do this to your students?"

"I mean you're my first, so I'm just as clueless as you are. I don't exactly have that many people vying for my attention."

"What, no - I mean, I just - ergh," she stuttered, before huffing loudly. She then shook her head, and a look of resolution soon settled in her eyes. "Nevermind, just tell me what to do. Wouldn't want to waste daylight, right?" Her words held much more conviction than before.

That was more like it.

A smug grin involuntarily snuck its way past his lips, but he quickly forced it down. Reaching for the back of his belt, he grabbed a pair of throwing knives. "First off, quick question." He gave one of the knives a good toss into the air, before catching it again. "Do you do better with daggers or throwing knives?"

"Where did you even get those weapons?"

"Ehh, back at old man Willy's house. Now which one are you better at?"

"I don't exactly have much experience with weapons or close combat," Kaitlyn began, tilting her head to the side. "But... I did have some practice with throwing knives. They're not the best, but I did pretty decently with them."

"Throwing knives it is then. Just hand me over the dagger now, would ya?"

She nodded and walked towards him, handing the dagger. He noticed that she kept a firm grip on the sharp end, making sure to face the hilt of the weapon towards him instead. You'd think she wouldn't want to touch that part with her bare hands at all, but- wait a minute.

It was then that he took notice of her hands. They still looked the same as usual - small and maybe even somewhat dainty. Not many callouses seen on mostly marless skin. However, it was the fingerless leather gloves wrapped around her hands that took him aback.

Where did she find those gloves?

Kaitlyn blinked. "Oh, were you wondering about these?" she asked abruptly.

He guessed he must've been staring for a bit too long, seeing as she had followed his gaze and answered the question that was in his mind. Wordlessly, he nodded, not before grabbing the dagger from her hand.

Now weaponless, she began to play with the ends of her gloves. A light blush tinged her cheeks. "It's a bit embarrassing, but I actually got them from Warren when we first started traveling together. Apparently he had a pair of extras along with his own." She smiled fondly. "They're a little big, but they do the job. I'd never thought about wearing them until today though, so I just never brought them out."

From Warren. Of course they were from Warren.

Which was rather… odd. Frustratingly odd. Aster knew the Warren was not only a man of little words, but a man with many secrets. Hell, even he had been unable to uncover everything there was to know about Warren. He was such a loner that even Aster sometimes went out of his way to avoid him, banter aside.

Warren looking after Kaitlyn went against everything Aster knew about Warren.

What was it about Kaitlyn? Why did Warren latch onto her so quickly? To be fair, she was just as attached to him as he was to her, but still. Warren was apathetic, abrasive, and prone to anger sometimes as well. Of course, he would hold up that annoyingly unruffled front in front of everyone just to appease them, but he always seemed to be more careful around Kaitlyn. The only other possible reason why Aster would think Warren was so agreeable towards Kaitlyn was because-

Oh.

Actually.

That would make sense.

Kaitlyn's voice finally broke through his thoughts. "... Is something wrong with that? The gloves, I mean."

Aster let his eyes wander over her figure. She was nervously fidgeting on the spot, shifting her weight between one leg to the other. Her eyes were uncertain once again, and she awkwardly avoided his gaze, staring up above his head instead.

He supposed the resemblance was there. Sort of. If he didn't take into account of Kaitlyn's indecisiveness.

Aster then sighed and shook his head. "Nevermind. The gloves won't be a problem, but listen."

She blinked at him. "Mhm?"

Arceus, he couldn't believe he was doing this now. "I suggest you not to get too attached to Warren. He may be nice, but he's also bad news."

She tilted her head to the side, perhaps trying to read into his words. But then she sent him a smile. "Don't worry about it too much. I trust him."

"Look, you don't know anything about him. Do you know about his family? His past? His true nature even? Can you even safely say that you fully trust him when you know nothing about him?"

Kaitlyn paused, but then grabbed the throwing knives from his slack grip. He let her take them. "Does that even matter though? I don't care about what he's done in the past, he's already proven to me that he's a trustworthy. And that's more than enough for me. The only thing that matters for me is what he's doing now, and he's proven time after time again that he isn't out there to harm me."

She scratched the bridge of her nose. "Just, have some faith in me too, y'know?"

Aster fought the urge to face-palm, but held himself back. "Okay, whatever you say, princess." He quickly changed the subject before she could retort back. "Besides that though, you got any of your Pokemon with you?"

She felt around her back pocket to bring out her two Pokeballs. "Yea, Kit and Leo are here. Why?"

"We'll be training them both today as well. Come on, you're not the only one that needs improving." Aster threw out his two Pokeballs as well, revealing both Celes and Echo.

"Have your Pokemon get into a sparring match with mine. I want to see how you do under pressure in the middle of a battle. Don't hold back."

"I…" she seemed taken aback at the quick shift in topic, but she then nodded. "Sure," she said, and then she threw her Pokeballs out. Quickly after, the Pokemon were engaged in combat.

And as Aster simply watched them duke it out, he sighed.

He supposed he gave it a shot, even if his warning fell upon deaf ears.

If anything, hopefully, that blind trust of hers wouldn't lead her to her downfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character List:
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilli) and Kit (Vibrava)  
> \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)  
> \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and Azumarill (Echo)  
> \- Chase McCloud: Meowstic(Meowstic) and Mothim (Mothim)  
> \- Launa Everett: Absol (Absol) and Milotic (Milotic)  
> \- Connor Winchester: ? (Togetic) and ? (Jolteon)


	9. Wishes and Fulfillments

**2043: 6 years ago**

**...**

****“Here. Take this egg.”

A small boy blinked up at the older man before him. A kind smile spread across the man’s face as he nudged the Pokemon egg closer to the boy’s arms. It had a strange-colored pattern that surrounded it, and the boy almost dropped it when he realized how heavy it actually was. _How can such a fragile egg be this heavy?_

The man laughed at the boy’s confusion and grinned. “Normally we’d have incubators for Pokemon eggs, but we’ll have to make an exception for now.”

The boy only stood there, fiddling with the egg in his hands. “What do you even want me to do with this?”

“You asked for a Pokemon a year or two ago, didn’t you?”

The younger frowned. “Yea, but I asked for a Pokemon, not an egg. I can’t help you against raiders when I don’t have a Pokemon to use in a fight.”

He only received an laidback smile in response, which only caused his frown to worsen. As fond as the boy was with the older’s airiness, sometimes it just annoyed him. As if mirroring the boy’s chagrin, the Jolteon next to the man perked one of his ears up and let out a similar sigh of exasperation, but soon settled back down to the sandy shore with a grunt. The man pat the Jolteon’s head, letting the younger boy’s statement sit for a while until he finally spoke up.

“Look, it’s not about fighting. All I’m asking for you to do is to raise this egg, hatch it, and take care of it. I found it just a few days ago on the route we just passed. Whatever Pokemon that’s still in there though, it’s still fighting. And out of anyone that can take care of it, I know you can.”

The boy ignored his praise. “But what about survival skills, or fighting, or learning more about herbs? I can’t waste my time with this.”

As much as he sympathized with whatever Pokemon was in that egg, the world wasn't going to wait for them. Time was an essence. Despite the boy’s young age, even _he_ knew this. He wasn’t about to risk losing yet _another_ person he cared about, especially with how hopelessly optimistic his mentor was.

“I always find that there’s always room for love and compassion even after everything that's happened. They’re traits that are seen as weaknesses right now, yes, but they’re values that have been widely underestimated and forgotten. It’s a testament of a person’s character, and I do wish that people were more willing to open themselves up now.”

The boy scoffed. “Yea. Like _anyone_ would be willing to do something like that now.”

“You’d be surprised,” the man said. He ruffled the boy’s hair, musing up the mess of dirty blonde curls. The boy squawked when the man removed his hand. “After all, you would know this trait better than anyone else. Didn’t you do the same for me?”

The boy was at a loss for words. The memories of that time a long time ago rushed back into his brain. Heat furled up to the back of his neck. “It was just one time, that’s all.” His grip on the egg tightened and he could’ve sworn he felt the Pokemon inside there moving before settling back down.

The man only glanced knowingly at the egg and then let out a chuckle. “Of course. Now come on, take the egg. Just reconsider what I said, promise?”

The boy then looked up at the sky, and watched a flock of Swellow swoop past the clouds. Reconsider what he said? He looked back at the egg in his arms. A feeling of responsibility washed over him, and the 10-year old boy was briefly reminded of how new and _young_ it was. But instead of feeling overwhelmed, he felt… comforted. Perhaps…

And before he knew it, he responded. “Okay. I promise.”

* * *

**2049: Present**

Launa always enjoyed meeting new people.

Whether it be old, new, it never really mattered to her. So to speak, she’d always been known as a “people person,” with many people acknowledging how infectious her bubbly personality was. Even with how hard life was now, she always tried to look at the bright side, looking towards the future rather than back at the past. She always believed it was better to stick close to people and support them. After all, everyone could use a little help, right?

So when she came across these two people who were obviously arguing amongst themselves, she just _had_ to say hello.

Of course they weren’t that appreciative over her presence. Hell, she couldn't exactly blame them with the many jerks that still roamed about the region, but she wanted them to at least trust her enough to help. It turned out that they had two other traveling companions as well, which just meant more people to get to know!

And once she caught wind of that injury, she knew just who she wanted them to meet.

Connor was a very interesting guy. He was always curt and to-the-point, a guy who never liked to beat around the bush. He was very strong-willed and wasn’t afraid to lay all the facts down, hurt feelings aside or not. But even then, he was also strangely dependable, and almost acted as a caretaker. He knew how to find the right berries, produce the right herbs, scavenge the right supplies. Yet, while Connor had all these skills in his arsenal, he never did anything about it. And she never understood _why_ he refused to do so.

It was one of the few mysteries that grinded on her gears. And it made her more jealous than she was willing to admit.

But nothing about that.

Currently, Connor was working in silence, digging through the dirt to pluck out the necessary herbs for Chase’s injury. Launa had followed after him, wanting to stick around with him rather than deal with that obvious tension around Warren and Chase. She was oblivious, but she wasn’t _that_ oblivious, she at least did have some semblance of awareness.

Launa rocked on the balls of her feet as she continued to watch Connor work. Jealousy aside, she still considered him as a good friend, but even she could admit she didn’t know _enough_ about him. While the silence between them was comfortable, she was itching to get some words out of him.

A smile broke out of her face. “Sooooo….”

She waited for a response from him, but he didn’t reply. The only thing he let out though, was a very disinterested grunt. She didn’t let that deter her.

“It’s been a while since you’ve gotten yourself visitors, huh,” she said instead. Connor stiffened, and his movements seemed to be more rigid than usual. His grip on the garden trowel tightened. It didn’t go unnoticed by her.

“I didn’t even invite them in myself, Launa. You brought them over here yourself,” he replied.

Her smile only widened. “Well, you didn’t have to. I’m just saying.”

He stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head. He continued on working. She laughed.

From over the few years she’d known Connor, she’d picked up on a few quirks of his. It was obvious he was a bit flustered.

The two had met under strange circumstances, and it definitely wasn’t one of her most brightest moments. She had met him around the Mauville City area a year or two ago while she was with her Absol. There had been a group of raiders that were hanging around the route above the city area, to which she thought she could’ve taken on. However, with her team of two versus their giant group, she stood no chance and had to flee.

It had taken a while to get to Mauville City, with her injuries and her tired Pokemon, but she had made it nonetheless. For a brief moment, she remembered how the city was actually undergoing construction, but seeing the buildings right then, it was obvious that construction hadn’t continued. It was actually right there under some debris that she came across Connor. Or, so to speak, how Connor came across her.

* * *

 

_“You don’t look like you’re doing too well.”_

_From the ground where she was crouched at, Launa looked up to see a boy that was leaning against the wall. He was dressed casually, with an almost too small blue cardigan and a pair of dark pants. He didn’t look too intimidating, but after her little skirmish, she was_ not _going to take any chances. She tried to get back up, but was only shoved back down by Absol, who was still eyeing the stranger warily. “What do you want?”_

_The boy merely raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t seem to be in the position to ask questions here.”_

_It was then that she noticed the Jolteon to his side, whos haunches raised up when it saw Absol tensing up as well. Not wanting to instigate it, she brought her palm down onto Absol’s fur in an attempt to calm him down. Normally she would be a lot more open to meeting strangers, but after dealing with those raiders and her current injuries now, she was much more cautious than she usually was._

_Her broken ankle began to throb. She steadily ignored it._

_The boy then sighed, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered to himself. The Jolteon yipped in reply to the boy’s mutter. After that the boy shook his head. “Look, we saw you while you were traveling through here, and you looked like you needed help. You gonna take it, or not?”_

_Well_ that _was a sudden shift in attitude, she thought. Normally she wouldn’t be too aversed with it, talking to new people, that is, but she didn’t like how vulnerable she was at the moment. “I think I’m good, thanks. You can be on your way.”_

_A Pokeball that was latched onto the boy’s waist began to shake, which strangely enough, made the Jolteon calm down a bit. The Pokemon then began to nudge at the shaking Pokeball and let out a whine. The boy unlatched the Pokeball from his waist and enlarged it. “I’ll rephrase, it was Cadence who saw you and wanted to help. Ace and I could care less. Just let her heal you before we can be off on our way.”_

_Whether he was referring to the shaking Pokeball or the Jolteon, she didn’t know, but she did have an inkling that it was the shaking Pokeball. Unexpected as it was, she supposed it was a safe option to let this “Cadence” heal them, seeing as Absol had settled to lie back down (the lazy lug). Milotic was beginning to shake in_ her _Pokeball as well. So, Launa nodded her head._

_Immediately, the Pokeball in the boy’s hand burst into life, and out of it came a Togetic. The Pokemon let out a loud trill before landing directly on his head. The boy then moved the Pokemon onto his shoulder, his voice softer than before. “You couldn’t have waited for just a few more moments now, couldn’t you Cadence?”_

_The Togetic let out another squeal, before the boy turned back to Launa. “My Togetic knows how to use Heal Bell and Wish, so she can heal your and your Pokemons’ wounds. You wanna heal your Absol first?”_

_Launa blinked. She didn’t expect to see a Togetic out of all Pokemon, especially with how rare they usually were. Though then again, Jolteons were rare Pokemon too. To her side, Absol got himself up first, probably checking to see if the Togetic was dangerous or not._

_The Togetic hopped off of the boy’s shoulder, hovering over middair right in front of Absol. He gave her a small sniff, before nodding his head and presenting her his shoulder. Launa held back a wince at Absol’s injuries; he had gotten paralyzed by taking a hit that was supposed to be for her when she had broken her ankle, and there was also a giant slash marred across his side. Milotic, on the other hand, was in her Pokeball due to the burns that was inflicted on her own body. A part of Launa still couldn’t believe that a water-type Pokemon like Milotic could have burns that bad._

_A blue-green light slowly started to emit from Cadence’s body as she let out another trill. Before Launa knew it, the slash on Absol’s shoulder started to close up, and his paralysis began to fade out._

_Honestly, she was in awe._

_Cadence then began to move toward her, settling onto her knee. She seemed to be asking for permission to start healing her as well. Launa smiled, and grabbed the Pokeball from her side, before sending her Milotic out. “Yea, you can go for it. Could you also heal Milotic while you’re at it as well?”_

_The Togetic gave a small jump in reply, a cheerful smile spread on her face. The blue-green light was back again, and Launa held back a sigh of relief when the pain on her ankle started to disappear. The cuts and scrapes on her own body were closing up too. It was obvious Milotic was feeling that same relief as well, which made Launa more than thankful. She didn’t know how long it would’ve taken to find a large body of water to heal Milotic, so Cadence’s help was much appreciated. Absol trotted over to Milotic to rub at her side, checking on to see how she was doing. Milotic let out a happy cry._

_That was good to see._

_The boy’s Togetic then rubbed her head into Launa’s hand, to which she gave a small pat. Cadence then hopped off, flying back up to the boy’s shoulder. Embarrassingly enough, she had forgotten that he was still there. “Will that be all?” he asked._

_She looked at her Pokemon, before nodding. “Yup! I think that’ll be it!” she grinned, much more enthusiastic now that she knew he wasn’t a threat._

_He didn’t look too impressed. “Yea, ok. I’ll be off then.” He turned back around before pausing mid turn, staring blankly back at Launa. “What do you think you’re doing?"_

_She paused. “What are you talking about?” She was in the middle of standing up too._

_He seemed almost frantic, the Jolteon to his side seeming unimpressed as Cadence snickered. “Are you stupid!? Don’t just stand right up after healing a broken ankle! It still needs time to readjust and recover or else it’ll get worse!”_

_“Oh, this?” She gave her ankle a kick and rolled it. “It feels fine.”_

_He winced at her careless actions. “I thought you’d have at_ least _enough common sense to wrap up that ankle before standing up, but clearly, I gave you way too much credit.” He forced her to sit back down and took out his backpack. Much to her shock, there were quite a bit of first aid supplies in there. He took out a roll of rolling tape and began to unwind it._

_“Give me your foot.”_

_She rolled her eyes and complied. As he began to wrap up her foot, she smirked. “You know you don’t have to do this, right?”_

_“Whatever.”_

* * *

 

After their first meeting, she quickly found out that he was heading to Rustboro City. It had been a while since she had a traveling companion of sorts, so she decided to tag along behind him, refusing to budge when he tried to leave her much to his annoyance. And yet, he always made sure he didn’t head out too far ahead of her just to let her catch up if she lagged behind.

It was actually her who helped him set up his little base in Rustboro City. The only reason why he was headed there was because of its easy access to Petalburg Woods and the lake that was nearby it. Add onto the large amount of debris in Rustboro and the collapsed Silph Co. building, and Connor would’ve had supplies for days.

Of course they had stopped traveling together once he settled down, with him preferring to stay in one place while she liked to explore around still, dangers aside, but she always made sure to meet up with him. And possibly drag around visitors to his place if she deemed them to be safe.

She had an inkling he knew _why_ she always dragged visitors to see him, but she’d never willingly admit it to him. Whether she was willing to acknowledge it or not, a small part of her felt resentful of him. Here was a boy who had such good skills, who knew how to cook, knew first aid, and had survival skills. And while he could’ve went out there and helped so many people, he never did anything about them.

It frustrated her. He never put his skills to good use. And yet, while she aspired to do the same, she didn’t have the necessary skills to do so.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Connor get up. _He must’ve finished picking at the plants._

Her conclusion was only confirmed when he started wiping off the dirt on his pant legs. “There that should do it,” he mumbled to himself. He started to walk back to the door that was still half open before he paused and turned back around. “Would you get a move on? I’d rather lock this up and get back inside as soon as possibl - ”

“ ...lly though, I’m sorry for what I said.”

Oh, that must’ve been Warren and Chase.

As she mentioned before, she knew there was some underlying tension between them that she wasn’t willing to overstep. But she didn’t think they would make up so quickly. Warren and Chase both seemed to be very closed off (Warren more so than Chase) people, so them actually talking was the last thing she expected.

But this was a good thing! Now that they apologized, maybe she could finally talk to either of them without them being snappy. Maybe they could all become friends! She really liked the sound of that, she thought to herself as she skipped toward the door. That was, until Connor grasped at her arm and pulled her back. She let out a quiet yelp before regaining her footing.

“What is it? You wanted to go back inside, didn’t you?” she whisper-yelled.

Much to her dismay, he didn’t answer her, and only gave her a shake of his head.

She opened her mouth to speak before she heard Warren’s voice then from behind the door. “I’m not gonna say it was alright, since that was really thoughtless of you, but…” his voice trailed off until she heard a huff. “I, erm… I can understand where you’re coming from. Kinda. Your dad is everything to you, isn’t he?”

Launa froze.

Chase’s… dad?

Huh. It had been a while since she’d ever heard of that word before. Or since she ever referred to anyone as “dad” themselves. To be fair, it was rare to have family members still alive after all these years, unless they were just extremely lucky. Unfortunately, Launa wasn’t one of those lucky people.

To be honest, it had been so long, she had almost forgotten what he looked like. The only thing she could remember now was all of that blood. And the sound of her screams.

Her hands began to involuntarily shake and she fought to contain her shivers. She didn’t know how her legs hadn’t collapsed yet, but she could feel her breathe start to hitch.

It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Just focus on breathing,” she heard Connor mumble quietly. He kept his gaze on the door, still half listening to Warren and Chase’s conversation. “Count backwards from ten. Deep breaths,” he finished.

Under normal circumstances, she would’ve shrugged his hand off and plastered on a fake smile in an attempt to convince him (and possibly herself) that she was alright. However, she knew he was well aware of her past. There wouldn't be any use denying it. Instead, she listened to his advice and took in a gulp of air, and before long, her shaking had steadied. She focused her gaze on the door, until she heard bits of Warren and Chase’s conversation again.

“It just... really sucks.”

There was a pause in their conversation, and then Warren spoke. Launa didn’t get to hear that much, but she caught something among the lines of a sister that Warren really missed. From behind her, she felt Connor stiffen when Warren bluntly said his sister was dead, but he soon calmed down himself.

Sometimes, even under Launa’s mask of false cheer, her own memories of her past would haunt her. But she supposed that other people were the same too. Whether it be Warren, or Chase (perhaps even Aster and Kaitlyn), she truly didn’t know what anyone’s past experiences were unless they shared them. And even still, Connor was mostly a mystery to her, despite them knowing each other for such a long time.

Perhaps Warren and Chase talking to each other was a step in the right direction. She could only hope that Connor could do the same one day as well..

She snapped out of her musings when she heard Connor shuffling beside her. “You’re fine right now, right?” he asked.

She bit back a smile. “Yea, I’m good. Wasn’t anything too bad.”

He didn’t reply to her once again, and instead moved closer to the door. They didn’t seem to be talking anymore, so he nodded. “Ok, looks like they’re done. Come on, I just want to fix that injury already.” Without another word, he walked inside, leaving Launa by herself.

There were many words Launa could’ve used to describe Connor. He was curt and to-the-point. Very strong-willed and was never afraid to lay all the facts down. He never revealed too much information about himself and still remained an enigma in her eyes and always complained about how annoying people were.

Despite this though, under his constant complaints and jeers, she knew he cared very much of the wellbeing of others.

She just wished he was more aware of that himself.

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Connor to fully clean the cut.

He wasn’t kidding when he said it was messily done, it was almost as if it was done by an amateur. The moment he had set eyes on that hastily bandaged arm, it mocked him, and once he was done dressing the wound, he had to force himself not to dote on it anymore than he usually would have. Seriously, some people were idiots…

However, even with all of this, Connor didn’t know what to think of the people that were currently residing in his shack now.

To start off, was Warren and Chase. Despite Launa’s enthusiastic giggles, judging from her body language when they all first arrived, there was obviously some tension between the two. The other girl, whose name was apparently Kaitlyn, he hadn’t recognized at all. However, she seemed to be very hesitant, and obviously tried to go about unnoticed.

And then there was Aster.

Connor was no stranger to the other boy’s reputation. And his nickname was infamously known around the region of Hoenn. However, it had been a while since he’d last seen (or even heard) of him, so it was strange to see Aster show up completely out of the blue. And to see him being accompanied with such a strange group was also mind-boggling as well.

Currently, the sun had finally set and Connor could hear the sounds of wild Pokemon cries scavenging around the city grounds. Everyone had finally split off into little groups once Aster and Kaitlyn came back inside from doing who knows what. And all of the Pokemon were let out of their Pokeballs.

To be honest, under the dim light from Connor’s torch that was propped up at the wall, with the faint sounds of murmuring voices and scuffling feet, it was strangely serene. It was nice to see the Pokemon getting along with each other too, and it had been a while since Connor had seen so many Pokemon together at the same time.

Cadence seemed to be enjoying herself as well, as she fluttered around above Kaitlyn’s Petilil and Chase’s Milotic (who somehow managed to squeeze in). Sometimes she would swooped down to be at close reach with the Petilil, and when the grass-type would snap back at her she would hop away leaving him with an annoyed pout on his face. It was almost funny to see such an expression, Connor didn’t even think Petilils could pout in the first place.

It didn’t help when Warren’s Zoroark joined in on the fun, leaving the Petilil to try and squeeze underneath Milotic’s serpentine body. It didn’t prove to be very effective though, as the two Pokemon continued to harass the poor grass-type, and Milotic only laughed at their antics.

However, what was more shocking was to see how relaxed Ace was. Normally Ace would seemingly hover around Cadence, being the troublemaker she was. Ace was basically her own personal caretaker. Instead of hastily following after Cadence though, he was instead taking a nap with Absol and Mothim. Mothim was sat on top of Ace’s back as he flapped his wings every once in a while and Ace only let out a loud yawn in response. Despite only knowing each other for just a brief while, the Mothim didn’t seem to be concerned at all, even with their type differences.

It was nice to see them so carefree. It made him reminiscent of…

Well. Then again, Connor shouldn’t dwell too much in the past.

It was then that he took note of what their Pokemon’s trainers were doing. Warren and Chase had split off, as Warren was in deep conversation with Kaitlyn instead. He seemed to be troubled, as he leaned closer and mumbled something to her. The girl only nodded in return, giving him a nonchalant smile as she squeezed his hand briefly. After that, Warren stilled, and grasped at her hand more tightly before letting go.

Chase, on the other hand, was dealing with Launa. For whatever reason, Launa had made it her mission to befriend the other girl. Connor definitely knew the reason why, but he knew it would take a lot more than a shared backstory for Chase to open up to Launa. Launa was a force to be reckoned with after all, and sometimes, she never knew her boundaries. Connor could only wish Chase the best of luck.

And then there was Aster, who was sitting alone by himself. He didn’t seem to mind too much, playing around with his steel rod instead. Connor must have stared at him a bit too long though, as before he knew it, Aster had looked up and sent him a smirk.

_Why don’t you come join me?_

Connor sighed to himself. The implication behind Aster’s smirk was already clear as day. He could either leave and give up Aster’s provocation, or swallow his pride and sit next to him. Choosing the ladder, Connor promptly made his way over and sunk to the ground next to him.

They were quiet for a little while, and judging by Aster’s nonchalant look, he wasn’t planning to speak any time soon. Connor fought the urge to roll his eyes at Aster’s childish antics, but then shook his head. “So.” He kept his voice short.

“Hmm…?” Aster hummed. He let his hum draw out a little.

“I didn’t think I’d see the Devil of all people amongst such common folk.”

The humming stopped. “... And? What’s it to you.” Aster asked as he raised an eyebrow. He seemed to be wary.

Not wanting to start a confrontation, Connor leaned back against the wall. “Ehh, nothing really. Just wanted to point that out. From what I’ve heard, you’re usually off on your own doing your own things, so seeing you with people for once is just unexpected is all.”

At Connor’s reply, Aster relaxed. He then shrugged. “I guess I just needed a change of pace.”

“Wha- _why?_ ” Connor blurted out. “It’s not like you really need some of these people anyways. What’s making you stay?”

“Y’know, after years and years doing the same thing over and over again, like I said, this is just a nice change of pace. Besides, this group is actually kind of amusing. I might as well overstay my welcome. I already know what I wanna do anyways.”

Something about Aster’s statement felt different from anything else he had said before. Something that seemed resolute, and almost even a bit content. It made Connor wonder where Aster ever got his confidence or conviction. Connor wasn’t stupid, he already had a feeling he knew bits and pieces of  Aster’s past from what he had heard from other travelers over the years. But that quiet assurance that was hidden behind Aster’s voice and his coolness was unexpected.

_That… actually makes me kinda jealous._

“What the- Dumbass, what’s there to even be jealous of?”

Oh. Had he just spoken out loud?

Connor glanced back at Aster who only merely raised an eyebrow back. The other boy rolled his eyes. “Yes, you did speak out loud.” He then adjusted his posture, crossing his legs as he looked back at Connor. “Now on with it. What do you want?”

It was a rather embarrassing really. Connor hadn’t expected to have this type of conversation with Aster of all people. With Launa, perhaps. But _Aster_? Despite this though, he still found himself speaking. “I don’t know. Just the fact that you already know what you want to do. Or how you’re satisfied with what you have.”

Aster scoffed. “Dude, you already have a stable home with all the shit you need. What more do you want?”

Connor held back a wince. _Did I really sound that whiny?_ He could feel his leg begin to fidget from his anxiousness. Nevermind, this was a bad idea from the start. There wasn’t any use to this. However, when he got up to leave, Aster grabbed his arm.

“I didn’t tell you to leave,” Aster bluntly said as he dragged Connor back to the ground. “If you’re still worried about something even if you’ve got good living conditions now, it’s probably something big even if you think otherwise. So, out with it.”

Connor bit back a snarky retort that was just begging to come out of his lips, but he bit it back. Instead, he let out a large huff and leaned back against the wall.

The worst part was that, Connor didn’t even know why he was so jealous. Just the fact that…

“Sometimes I feel like I’m doing the same things over and over again.”

Aster nodded. Connor took that as a cue to continue on. “Like, it’s safe, and I like having a daily routine. But I feel like I don’t have a… a purpose? An end goal? I feel like I’ve done nothing for myself, or for any of the people that I’ve let down myself-”

Aster interrupted him. “Do you owe anything to them? These people that you’ve let down?”

“Owe anything?” Connor’s mind reverted back to a past scenario he had shoved into the back of his brain. He avoided Aster’s gaze, and settled onto the Pokemon in front of them. “I mean… nothing much. I don’t think so."

“So what about their hopes and dreams? Did they have any of those?”

Connor clenched his fists. “I… I guess there was. Or is.”

“Then fulfill those.”

Aster said that so simply that Connor had to do a double-take. He stared incredulously at him.

Aster groaned and covered his forehead with his palm. “Ergh, you’re not Kaitlyn, this should be easy for you to understand. Just fulfill whatever hope or wish they had. And stop mulling around, it doesn’t fit you.”

Connor blinked. “You barely know me. We just met.”

“Does that even matter? You just don’t seem to be the type to just sit around and do nothing.”

He let his words replay once again in his head, until it rang again and again and _again_ and soon enough it was the only thing left he could hear. Fulfilling a wish? Was the solution really that simple? Had the answer been right in front of him the entire time? Instead of doing the same mundane routine over and over again, was there really a chance that he could actually do something on his own terms?

For a moment, he suddenly remembered sandy shores, a comforting breeze, and a warm, airy smile.

“Are you done thinking now? Did I make everything clear?” Aster asked.

While Aster’s words sounded impatient and rushed, with an edge of snark on the side, it also seemed like an attempt to comfort him. To check up on him to see if he was still there. Wordlessly, Connor nodded, but he could feel the side of his lips quirking up into a amused grin.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Aster, who then glared at him. “Why are you smiling like that? Are you laughing at me?”

Somehow, Aster’s offended reaction was even more humorous. Connor tried forced back a snicker and turned to face away from him. “N-no, of course not. I’m just coughing.”

“Liar, I can totally see that. You’re laughing at me,” Aster deadpanned.

 _No use of trying to hide it now._ Connor finally let out a few chuckles, though still muffled a few through the palm of his hands. “Sorry, it’s just kinda funny,” he started. “Just a few moments ago I was under the impression that you were some uncaring, skeevy broker, and yet here you are giving me actual advice.”

Aster mock gasped. “Excuse me? I’ll have you know that I am a _very_ uncaring, skeevy broker. Ask anyone in this room and I _bet_ you they’ll say the same.”

With that said, Connor then glanced around the room to see… that everyone was asleep. Including the Pokemon who must’ve tired themselves out. Kaitlyn was snuggled up on the ground using her backpack as a pillow near the simmer embers with her Vibrava by her side. Warren was also near her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, but also asleep. From the side, both Launa and Chase were knocked out as well, with Chase on his bed and Launa on the ground.

Connor’s grin only widened. “Aster. Everyone’s asleep.”

“I-I know that, we’ll just have to wait until the morning.” Despite this, Aster’s reaction, especially with his own uncharacteristic stutter, told otherwise.

“You totally didn’t realize until now didn’t you.”

Aster blushed in embarrassment. “Shut up.”

Seeing Aster also redden up like that was an amusing sight to see, and it didn’t make the moment any less humorous. It was just so unlike the previous image Connor had conjured up of Aster before that when Aster shoved at Connor’s shoulder, he fell right over onto his side. Aster then added a small kick for good measure, but he also had a smirk on his own face, clearly seeing the humor in the situation too.

They then settled into another silence, much more comfortable than the last. Connor still lied on the ground, not feeling much of an urge to get back up for some reason. Though he was unwilling to admit it, it had been a while since he had such a nice talk. He strangely missed it. And though a part of him longed to talk just a bit longer, he knew it was getting late. With a long sigh, Connor got back up. “Seriously though, we should go get some sleep. You guys are probably gonna set out early tomorrow morning.”

“Yea, you’re not wrong. I’ll be off then,” Aster said as he stood up on his feet.

Aster began to walk to his sleeping Azumarill when Connor suddenly opened his mouth. Before he knew it, he spoke. “Hey Aster?”

The older boy stopped mid-stride. “Hm?”

“Thanks.”

With that, Connor laid back down, facing the wall and closed his eyes. From behind him, he could hear Aster let out a breath that seemed almost exasperated but also warm, and then his fading footsteps.

* * *

 

Morning came by surprisingly quickly.

Connor didn’t know how late he and Aster had stayed up talking, but it was weird waking up to people bustling around in his place. One moment, it was dark and his eyes were closed, but the next moment the sun was rising once again.

Obviously, he was still groggy, and wanted nothing more than to curl back on the ground and knock out for a few more hours, but he still had some activities to attend to. The rest of his visitors were already beginning to pack up and leave, and most of the Pokemon were shaking themselves awake. With a yawn, Connor went by to give Ace a pat, who only blinked sleepily back at him. It didn’t look like the Jolteon was going to get up anytime soon, but was ready to get up when Connor needed him.

From aside, he could hear Launa chattering to Chase, who looked exasperated but still indulged her. Connor walked over to them. “How’s the injury going? I can see that Launa’s been keeping you company.”

Chase scoffed. “She hasn’t stopped talking. Honestly, I don’t get how she can do that so much so early in the morning.”

“Oh come on! It’s a new day, which means more things to do!” Launa chirped.

“Right…”

Seeing their personalities play off of each other was a bit mind-boggling, especially with how different they were. It also didn’t seem like Chase was a morning person either, which Connor definitely sympathized with (he could only shudder at the amount of times Launa herself had forced Connor to wake up too early). He then shook his head. “Anyways, how’s your injury?”

Chase swung at her arm, testing to see its strength. Connor almost scolded her for being so harsh on it. “It’s feeling better. Most of the ache that was here before is gone.”

He nodded. “Okay, hold on. Let me just check on it again real quick.”

She held out her arm and he unwrapped the bandages. When her arm was fully exposed, he checked up on the skin. The cut was still semi-exposed, but was looking a lot less irritated than before. It was a wonder that it didn’t need stitches. He let his fingers trace down the cut’s side before he let out a soft whistle.

Cadence was back at his side with a flutter of her wings. She affectionately rubbed her head into his hair and chirped cheerily. “Hey you,” he grinned as he gave her a pat as well. “You think you can put on the finishing touches?”

With a skip in her step, the Togetic used a quick Heal Bell on Chase. The girl gasped when the bright aura emitted from her wound and finished patching up, and while then, Connor took out a new string of bandages to wrap around her arm. “This should do for the rest of the time. Once you don’t feel any pain anymore, I think you’re good to unwrap this.”

“Where did you get that Pokemon?” Warren asked from the door. It look like he was just getting ready to leave, with his backpack hitched up over his shoulder and cloak furrowed around him.

“Just an old friend of mine,” Connor said dismissively. From the corner of his eye, he saw Aster lifting up an eyebrow. The other boy probably put two and two together just then, but it wouldn’t matter too much. “Come on, just pack up your stuff. I’ll see you guys out.”

With that, everyone started to wake up their own Pokemon. Some people like Warren returned them into their Pokeballs, while others like Kaitlyn decided to leave hers out. Probably because of size or something of the like. Instead of watching them, Connor went out to his garden to pick out some herbs. Perhaps he could pack up some food for them too, he certainly had much to spare and wouldn’t be able to finish some of the foods himself before it started to spoil. Cadence lingered by his side while he did so, and he noticed that Ace had finally gotten up himself as well. The Jolteon trailed behind them with a slow, yet deliberate stride, until Cadence flew back down to his level to tease him.

When Connor got back to the main room, most of the people there were outside. Chase still lingered around, finally being able to grab at some of her stuff with the help of Meowstic and Mothim. He saw Kaitlyn there too, who seemed to think about hovering over her, but deemed not to in the end. Instead, the older girl called for Kit and Leo and walked outside. Surprisingly Launa wasn’t there, so he assumed she was going to say goodbye to the rest of the group out there as well.

“You ready?” he asked Chase. Her Mothim flew up to Cadence, and they started to circle around each other. Meowstic jumped right onto Chase’s shoulder, now that her head wasn’t occupied by Mothim anymore.

“Yea, just making sure I have everything,” she replied. She then hesitated, before asking, “Walk out with me?”

He rolled his eyes. “I was already planning that from the start.”

She scoffed, but didn’t say anything else as he held out the door for their Pokemon. He then followed after them, as he saw everyone else waiting outside. The food and herbs he had in his hands started to feel a bit heavy when he prepared himself to hand it out. A small part of him wondered if they would take it the wrong way and assume he was doing this out of pity, but he shook it aside.

Chase herself had already moved up ahead of him, and was now making small talk with Warren. He didn’t know exactly what they were discussing, but he didn’t want to be too nosy. Perhaps the easiest person to give these supplies to would be Kaitlyn, as she seemed to be nice enoug-

A palm nudged at his side. And when he whirled around, he saw that it was Launa. “What is it? I was just about to-”

“I’m planning on going with them,” she announced.

What?

He blinked and stared at her incredulously. Sensing his confusion, her blue eyes softened. “I don’t know, I just feel like I have to. Let’s face it, I’ve been doing nothing lately, and I want to actually _do_ something for myself.”

Since when had Launa been feeling like this? For all Connor knew, Launa always seemed like she was on the move, and everytime she visited him she would always tell him stories about her exploits. The fact that she felt like she was doing nothing for herself… He shook at his thoughts. Thinking about his own insecurities was pointless.

Instead, he questioned her. “Do something for yourself? Isn’t laying down on the low and staying safe enough?”

“For you, it may be. But sometimes I feel like I can do so much _more_ . I don’t have that many skills, and there’s not enough people out here that’s willing to help. Everyone nowadays thinks for themselves, and I want to _do_ something about it, even if it’s just by a little bit. And besides…” She glanced off to the side where Chase stood. She held her gaze on Chase’s figure for a while, before she turned back to Connor and lowered her voice. “Chase is looking for her dad. You _know_ what that means for me. And they’re heading up north too!”

“Okay, fine. I get that. But that doesn’t mean you can just up and follow them. Have you even asked them to come along?”

Her voice then picked up from its previous state and she grinned. “I’m sure I’ll be fine. I asked Warren just this morning. He’s a bit of a grump, but he means well too!”

Well, he should’ve known Launa wasn’t going to stay forever. Though he wasn’t her keeper, and a small part of him was jealous that she could just up and leave so easily without a thought. But at the same time, there was a small bit of pride he had for her as well. “I’m not gonna stop you Launa. You’re free to make your own choices anyways, if it really means that much to yo-”

She interrupted him with a shout. “You should come with me!”

Immediately, everyone else heard her suggestion and eyed them both. Connor rubbed at his temples, trying to quell down his embarrassment from suddenly being put on the spotlight.

“Wait, who said _you_ were coming with us!?” Chase screeched at Launa. Launa shrugged, but didn’t answer her, focusing in on Connor instead.

“Look Launa, I can’t just leave!” Connor babbled. “I already have plans and I’m not even that much of a physical fighter myself. If anything, I’m just a guy who knows how to treat wounds an-”

“We could use a healer y’know.”

Aster stepped up toward Connor, and a familiar knowing smirk was stretched across his face. “Your Togetic and supplies would be very useful, as well as your skills. And come on, you’re already halfway ready to go with those packed supplies you’re holding.”

“Wha-” Connor stuttered. “I was going to give these to you before you left! This isn’t for me!”

“Well, too bad. It’s yours. And by extension since you’re joining us, these will be ours too,” Aster stated.

“I don’t even have anything packed! Or my own personal kits and tools and extra food and water an-”

Aster placed a hand on his shoulder. “Connor.”

He stopped in the middle of his ramble and his throat hitched. Aster’s grip on his shoulder tightened a bit. “Who was it that said that they didn’t feel like they had a purpose themselves last night?”

Connor didn’t answer, but both of them knew what the answer was.

“You wanted to fulfill that wish, didn’t you? As your own purpose?” he asked. Connor could feel everyone staring at them. From Aster’s words, Ace looked up at him, and it took the Jolteon a few seconds, but he knew exactly what Aster was implying.

Connor sighed. “I mean, I did but… It’s gonna be hard.”

Aster didn’t miss a step. “And who said it was ever going to be easy?”

Of course, in the heat of the moment when Connor talked with Aster the other night, it seemed like a plausible and realistic goal. Now that he was more awake and at a crossroads, Connor felt like he had his doubts.

As if she was hearing his thoughts, Launa went up to stand beside Aster. “Come on, Connor!” she laughed. “You’re not gonna be by yourself. If it helps, I’ll look after you!”

And for some reason, those words from years, _years_ ago echoed in his head.

_“I always find that there’s always room for love and compassion even after everything that's happened. They’re traits that are seen as weaknesses right now, yes, but they’re values that have been widely underestimated and forgotten. It’s a testament of a person’s character, and I do wish that people were more willing to open themselves up now.”_

Was this what he would’ve wanted?

Connor looked at his Pokemon. Both Cadence and Ace had been alongside him for so long. A part of him didn’t know what he would do without them, and this was a choice they would all have to make together. Cadence seemed to have her mind made up though, as she flew up into his arms, settling next of the supplies in his arms. Ace only sat down next to his feet, and Connor crouched down next to him.

Was he really giving himself this chance? Did Connor even deserve this?

Out of everyone, Ace would be the one to understand why Connor was so reluctant. Perhaps _he_ could have some answers. But when he looked at the Jolteon, eye to eye, there was a sense of vulnerability in the Jolteon’s form. The Pokemon let out a purr, and rubbed against his arm, as if asking, _begging_ , Connor to at least reconsider.

It was uncharacteristic. Unexpected. And yet, Connor found himself smiling fondly. _You really do think so too, don’t you._

“So? How about it? Will you come along?” From above, Aster reached out a hand to him.

And before he knew it, Connor grabbed his hand.

_Ernest. I hope you’ll watch out for me. Thank you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character List:
> 
> \- Kaitlyn Brooks: Leo (Petilli) and Kit (Vibrava)  
> \- Warren Monger: Vex (Zoroark) and Vera (Braixen)  
> \- Aster Drake: Celestine (Gardevoir) and Azumarill (Echo)  
> \- Chase McCloud: Meowstic (Meowstic) and Mothim (Mothim)  
> \- Launa Everett: Absol (Absol) and Milotic (Milotic)  
> \- Connor Winchester: Cadence (Togetic) and Ace (Jolteon)


End file.
